SMZS One shots - Sequel
by Rasi10
Summary: As the title says, the sequel of my book SMZS one shots - with twists and turns and lots of fun. Rated T for safety
1. Prologue

**A/N: And I'm back with the sequel! This is just an extension of the first part of the epilogue. Aka, the recap chapter. **

**Warning: Auto corrects and typos are always behind my back so please forgive me for any mistakes. And please don't get mad at my attempt at typing Hindi, it is NOT my First or Second language so I am prone to make mistakes. **

'They were finally married! And with the acceptance of the parents' was the only thought that ran through the head of Goggle, Kusum, Aman and Kartik. It was a cause of huge relief and joy for them as their family had at least started to accept them and their partners and not criticise them for their decision.

That relief was especially visible on the faces of Aman and Kartik as they hugged each other after Kartik had broken away from Shankar Tripathi. That one single hug with silent tears of joy and relief conveyed the intensity of emotions they were experiencing.

Goggle and Kusum just went to Chaman and Champa and got their blessings before heading towards the elder couple to seek their blessings.

"Husband bula saktha hoon na tumhe kal se?" Kartik asked as he removed his shirt, getting ready for the night. "Dekhte hain faisle ke baad." Aman said as he got into bed, followed by Kartik._ (I can call you my husband from tomorrow na?) (Let's see after the decision)_

"Main na... aaj bohot kush hoon." Aman said, pulling Kartik near him so that they were touching back to chest. Kartik hums, turning around so that he is facing Aman. "Kisi liye? Humare shaadi ke kaaran?" he whispered._ (I am very happy today) (For what reason? Our marriage?)_

"Hmmm... haan, woh bhi ek kaaran hai. Main kush hoon kyon ki mere pati ko ek family mili hai jo use accept karti hai." he said, pressing a kiss on Kartik's hai. "Main isi liye kush hoon kyon ki ab se mujhe meri family se koi baath chupane ke zaroorat nahi hai." he said, pressing a kiss to the forehead._ (Hmmm... yeah, that is also a reason. I am happy as my husband has now got a family that accepts him. I am happy because I don't have to hide anything from my family)_

"Main kush hoon kyon ki ab se I won't be the only one tumhe pyaar karne ke liye" he said, slowly moving downwards and kissing his nose. "Aur main bohot kush hoon ke sab kush hai aur humne kisi ka dil tootne nahi pada ek saath rehne ke liye." he concluded with a peck to the lip._ (I am happy that from now on, I won't be the only one who showers you with love. And I am very happy that everyone is happy now and we didn't cause any heartbreaks just so that we stay together)_

"Achcha? Ab meri baari" Kartik said, understanding what Aman is trying to say. "Main kush hoon ki mujhe tum jaisa pati mila" he said, kissing at Aman's chin. "Main kush hoon ki itne saare dramae ke baad bhi unhone hume khuli haath accept kiya." he said, kissing the collar bone._ (Oh yeah? Now it is my turn. I am happy that I got a husband like you. I am happy as even after all this drama, they accepted us in open arms)_

"Main isi liye kush hoon ki Goggle jaisi ek friend mili." he said, giving a quick peck at his throat. "Main bohot kush hoon ki ab se tum nahi daroge jab main tumhe publicly kiss karonga" he said and Aman chuckled as he playfully pushed Kartik away. _(I am happy because I got to get a friend like Goggle. I am very happy that you won't be startled or scared when we kiss publicly)_

Kartik climed back up and snuggled closer to Aman, resting his head on top of Aman's heart, listening to the reassuring heart beat and turned to give that area a quick kiss before looking at Aman. "Par main bohot kush hoon ke hum chaaron ka happy ending mili. Kaun jaata hai, aur bhi badi gadbad ho sakthi thi." Kartik said and turned back, squirming around to get into a comfortable position before he settled down and purred in contentment. _(But I am very happy that the four of us got our happy ending. Who knows? It could've ended worse)_

Aman just hummed in agreement before wrapping his arms around _his_ _husband,_ resting his chin on top of his head after giving a small kiss to his hair, whispering "Mere liye tum kaafi ho" before adjusting himself so that they both are in a comfortable position. Kartik sleepily held onto the hands around him and sighed, enjoying the peaceful silence that embraced them, lulling them into a nightmareless sleep.

Kusum and Rajni on the other were just sitting on the bed, staring at each other. "How will this work?" Goggle asked, doubt creeping into her voice. Kusum just hummed in question.

"How will this work? I mean, hum dono toh Aman aur Kartik ki tarah nahi hai jo soch samaj ke shaadi ki hai. Un dono toh at least teen saal relationship mein the. Par hum? Kuch din pehle hum dost the, kal hum lovers hue aur aaj, shaadi kiye. Maana ki it was a mutual decision par... where do we stand?" Goggle asked. _(How __will_ _this__ work? I mean, we __didn't_ _exactly__ think __before_ _marking__ each other like __Kartik_ _and_ _Aman__. They were in a relationship for __at least__ 3 years. But us? Few days back, we were sort of friends, yesterday we confessed our __love__ and today we married. I agree __that it__ is a mutual decision but... where do we stand?)_

Kusum just considers her question before taking her hand. "Maanti hoon ki sab jaldi se hua hai humare beech main but aage ke raasta hum slowly lenge, step by step. Rush karne ki koi zaroorat hi nahi hai ab humare paas kyon ki humari shaadi ho chuki hai." Kusum reassured. _(I agree that everything has happened very quickly between us but we will take everything slowly in the __future__, step by __step__. There will be no need to rush as we have all the time in he __world__ as we are already married.)_

"Tumhare maa baap?" Goggle asked. She had seen them trying to have a conversation with Kusum, on the verge of hitting her and then left in a huff. "Mujhe koi regrets nahi hai. Tumhari family ne hume accept kiya na? Bas, mujhe aur kuch nahi chaahiye. And anyways, usko toh mera kanya dhaan karke chhod ne wale the, this is no different." Kusum said. _(__Your__ mom and dad?) (__Is_ _don't__ regret anything. Your family __accepted__ us no? That is enough for __me__. And anyways, they were eager to give me away, this __is__ no different)_

"Jaanti ho?" Rajni asked as she moved closer. "Main sirf ek cheeze regret karoongi. Humara toh transition phase hi nahi mila ek doosre ko aur achcha jaanne ke liye. Haan, patha hai ki hum ab kar sakthe hai, par... shaadi ke pehle woh ek bohot alag sa experience hogi na?" Rajni said. _(Did you know? I will just regret one thing. We __didn't__ get our __transition__ period to get to know each __other__ well. Yeah, I know __that__ we have our whole life to do it but... __doing__ it before marriage is another experience no?)_

"Shaayad, mujhe nahi patha. Maine is tarah pyaar nahi kiya hai na kisi se. Sab toh ek date par chalenge aur bas, that's it." Kusum said. _(__Maybe__, I __don't__ know. I __haven't__ loved anyone like this __ever__. All were just one date __experiences__, nothing more than that)_

"Meri toh ek boyfriend tha kuch saal pehle, Rahul. Hum ek doosre se pyaar karte te. Par ek din... Hum terrace mein the jab usne meri chashme uthaar diya. Shock se peeche jaakar gir gaya. Jab maine usko hospital mein ek aakhri baar milne gayi, usne kaha ki woh dar ke kaaran peeche nahi gaya. He hadn't expecting that level of damage. Examine karne ke liye peeche gaya, yeh bhoolkar ki woh toh edge par hai, aur gir gaya." Rajni said.  
_(I had a boyfriend some years back, Rahul. We loved each other. But one day... __we_ _were__ on the terrace when he removed my glasses. He took a __step__ behind in shock and __fell__ off. When I met him in the hospital for one last __time__, he told me that he took a step back not because he was scared of the eye. He hadn't expected that level of damage. He wanted to examine the eye and stepped back, forgetting __that_ _he__ was near the edge)_

"Thank you for sharing the story. Isi liye tum thoda gabra gaye na jab maine tumse tumhara glasses nikalne ke liye kahi thi?" Kusum asked, connecting the dots. She put her hand around Rajni, rubbing slow circles on her back. Goggle just sighed and leaned into the touch. _(__That's__ why you got scared when I asked you to remove your __glasses__ no?)_

"Hum sab work our karlenge. Ab tum so ja, kal hume jaldi utna hai na? Supreme Court ke faisle sunne hai" Kusum said as she laid back on the bed. Goggle just laid down facing Kusum, watching as her breaths evened out before going to sleep herself, thinking that maybe... her life will go uphill now. _(We will work it out. Go to sleep now, we need to wake up early tomorrow no? To hear the Supreme Court's verdict)_

The next morning, it was complete chaos in the Tripathi household. Everyone were running around, trying to get ready or wake up everyone before gathering around in the courtyard. Some were still in their pyjamas, sone of them were rubbing the sleep out of their eyes but all their eyes were glued to the iPad Keshav was holding, waiting in anticipation for the decision to be announced.

The silence was dense as everyone held onto their breaths as the reporter started to talk about the verdict. The tension and anticipation surrounded the gathering, thick enough to be sliced by a knife. Then came the verdict. The Supreme Court declared that Section 377 was abolished. Same sex relationships were decriminalised. And the uproar in the house was massive.

There was a lot of laughter, exclamations and squeals as everyone started hugging each other, distributing sweets around and non of them could be compared to the level of joy Aman and Kartik were experiencing.

Well, not to say that Rajni and Kusum were not as happy as the other couple but... The intensity and the level of relief that oozed out of the male couple couldn't be matched. After living in fear for their whole lives about the society's reaction, the family's reaction, hiding their relationship from nearly everyone for past 3 years, all the hesitant touches, the fear of being outed... everything just started vanishing as they hugged each other right now. Years worth of tension and fear, all gone in that one moment.

The two of them forgot that they were surrounded by the family, revelling in the feeling of safety and security they felt right then in that hug. Kartik broke the hug first, pulling back slightly as he saw the pure love and relief in Aman's eyes, which he was sure was reflected by him also. He just placed a gentle kiss to his forehead, trying to pour in all of his love in just that one gesture.

Before Aman could respond, Shankar Tripathi broke them out of their trance. "As much as I am happy for you both... thoda..." he said, pointing out the fact that they were shirtless and standing in the middle of the house.

The two of them blushed and immediately ran off upstairs, causing an uproar of laughter among everyone. Goggle and Kusum just slung their arms around each other, revelling in the affection of the family.

In the following days, everyone fell into a new routine. Shankar often took Aman aside to have small talks with him along with Chaman, the ladies got used to Kartik helping them out in the kitchen (i.e. wandering around and nicking pieces of food, rarely contributing to the cooking process)

In the evening, everyone got together for either a friendly banter among themselves or just sit around and talk around and play games. Today, the males have decided to have a small sciencey chat among themselves while the women were having a game of tambola, making Kartik the one to call out the numbers and be the mediator.

As Kartik took in the scene in front of him, a small smile lighting up his face. He felt overwhelmed from the amount of love and affection he was getting from everyone. Yeah, there were stilled some rough patches between them all but... the sense of belonging he had been longing for since he was young, something that he was getting now, it felt surreal, like he was living in a dream, and if it was a dream, he wanted it to be in it forever and not wake up at all.

The "Kartik beta? Idhar aa" Shankar called suddenly. Kartik went and stood in front of him, wondering what was going on. "Maine us din ke liye maafi nahi maanga tumse... Us din jo bhi maine kiya, woh galat tha. Nai, kuch math bol" Shankar said, cutting off whatever Kartik was about to say. "Tumhari koi galti nahi hai. Hum hi nasamaj the. Bolne ke wajah danda liya. Mujhe uske liye maaf karoge ya nahi, mujhe nahi patha. Par yaad rakh, yeh tumhara bhi ghar hai aur tum humara beta. Kal waapas Delhi jaane par hume bhool math jana." he said with a smile.  
_(Kartik? Come here. I __didn't__ apologise to you that day... __whatever__ I __did__ that day was wrong. No, __don't__ say anything. It is not your fault. We __didn't__ understand that love is love. Instead of talking it out, I took the danda. I __don't__ know if you will forgive me for what I did. But remember, this is also your house and you are my son. __Don't__ forget us when __you__ go back to __Delhi__ tomorrow)_

Kartik just stood there, speechless before he ran and hugged him, sobs escaping his mouth before he can stop himself. "Badon ko chotay se maafi nahi maangni chahiye" Kartik said in between sobs. "Par agar badon ne galti ki, toh maafi maangna buri baath nahi hai." Chaman said from the sidelines, patting at Kartik's back. _(Elders shouldn't apologise to people younger than them) (But if the elders are wrong, then apologising is __not__ wrong)_

Aman slowly moved away from the duo, wanting to give Kartik some time with his father but Kartik, sensing Aman move away, pulled him into the hug, kissing the side of his head. Sunaina joined in the hug, causing Rajni to scream "Family hug time!" before dragging in Kusum for the hug. Soon, there was a dogpile with Shankar and Kartik in the centre of it, Keshav secretly taking a photo of it from the corner.

The next time Kartik and Aman came to visit, they could see the picture framed and captioned 'The Family is Finally Complete! '

Leaving the family was hard and emotional. Talks were going around about calling home often and visiting soon and all those sappy stuff and it was hard to keep tears at bay. Shankar had offered to drop them off at the station and there was quite a banter, with Kartik wanting to ride the bike and Shankar gave in, compromising by sitting in between the couple. It was quite awkward, but they managed to reach the station safely.

The 3 of them hugged for one final time before exchanging their parting words and left their own way, silent tears flowing. Kartik just pulled Aman to his side, slinging an arm around him while waving at Shankar. Vacation was over, back to work.

Aman was just wondering about how quickly the days had gone by with the drastic changes they brought along when the train's whistle cut through his thoughts.

"Arey! Train nikal rahi hai!" he cried out as he started running, pulling Kartik along with him. Kartik overtook him and dashed forward, getting on the train and stretching out his hand. Aman just smiled and reached forward, catching hold of Kartik's hand and got into the train, barrelling into Kartik, who caught him and held him there, laughing out loud as they remembered how it all started. _(Arey! The train is leaving!)_

**A/N: And that's the wrap up of the prologue! Honeymoons up next! Hope you all like this chapter! All comments and criticism accepted and appreciated! This fic is betaed by girl. with. passion! Any prompts are welcome! **

**Thank you all for reading!**

**Rasnak signing off :) ;)**

**UPDATED ON 10 March 2020 **

**(Happy birthday appa)**


	2. Karman Honeymoon

**A/N: ****Kartik and Aman's honeymoon! Prompted by chandanaDas3 **

**Warning: Auto corrects and typos are always behind my back so please forgive me for any mistakes. And please don't get mad at my attempt at typing Hindi, it is NOT my First or Second language so I am prone to make mistakes.  
**

That night, Aman and Kartik returned home, all the energy they had had finally spent, leaving two exhausted men who were shuffling to open the lock.

"Arey? Kisne hume chitti bheji?" Aman asked as he spotted a letter near the door addressed to them and picked it up. "Chhod na baby, usko subah deklenge. Ab toh sirf sone ka mann kar raha hai" Kartik whined, pulling Aman inside. He just placed the letter inside and they just threw their bags somewhere before heading towards the bedroom for some well deserved sleep._ (Who sent this letter?) (Leave it baby, we can look at it in the morning. All I can think of now is sleep)_

The next morning, Kartik was the first one to wake up, dragging his feet to the kitchen for some much needed coffee when he spotted the letter. He just rubbed his face and put on some coffee before opening the letter. The more he read the letter, the more his eyes widened in disbelief before he blinked and read it again, suddenly wide awake.

"Aman, jaldi uto!" he cried as he rushed into their room. "Sone do Kartik, it's not even 7 yet" Aman said sleepily, turning over and settling down to sleep again. Kartik, the impatient man he was, just pulled off the covers and sat on top of Aman._ (Aman! Wake up quickly!) (Let me sleep Kartik, its not even 7 yet)_

"Woh chitti Aman! You won't believe what was in it!" Kartik exclaimed. "Uthne ke baath bolo na? Uthaane ki zaroorat kya thi?" Aman asked with a yawn, rubbing the sleep of his eyes, knowing that he wouldn't get any more sleep._ (The letter Aman! You won't believe what was in it) (You tell me all about it after I had woken up no? What was the need to wake me up?)_

"Theek hai, jo bhi hai coffee peene ke baad bolna" Aman said as gave Kartik a small peck before pushing him off, moving off to take care of his daily routine. Kartik just got off the floor and went on to make two cups of coffee._ (Ok, tell me about it after I've had my coffee)_

"So... kya lika tha us chitti main that got you all excited?" Aman asked as he came out of the bathroom. "Tum hi padlo" Kartik replied, handing over the letter to him._ (So... what was written in the letter that it got you all excited?) (You read it yourself)_

**_To Karman,_**  
**_Shaadi _****_mubarak_****_. Batha na? Everything will be fine? Honeymoon _****_illama_****_ enna kalyaanam? _****_That's_****_ why, ennoda gift for your marriage. Enjoy! _****_I'll_** **_be_****_ seeing you guys real soon!_**  
_**P.S Rajni aur Kusum ko **__**bhi yeh**__** gift de chuki hoon.**_  
**_R_**

_(To Karman_  
_Congratulations on your wedding. I told you no? Everything will be alright? What is marriage without a honeymoon? That's why, this is my gift for your marriage. Enjoy! I'll be seeing you guys real soon!_  
_P.S. I've offered this gift to Rajni and Kusum also_  
_R)_

Aman just blinked. "Karman?" he asked. "Mujhe kya patha? Aur woh tickets deke kya? 6 days 5 nights trip to Goa! Kuch tourism combos bhi hai, hotels bhi book kar chuki hai woh! Kaun hai yeh ladki?" he gushes._ (What do I know? Did you see the tickets? 6 days and 5 nights trip to Goa! There is also some tourism combos given, she even booked us the hotels! Who is this girl?)_

"Kal subah ki flight? Par humara kaam? Zaroor fire karenge hume kaam se. Pichle das din se hum kaam ke liye gaye nahi!" Aman said._ (The flight is tomorrow? But our job? The boss will surely fire us from work. We haven't gone for work for the past 10 days and we didn't even inform him about it!)_

"Toh kya? Koi aur job mil jaayega. We've been looking for jobs anyways. You applied for that school job kuch din pehle, call kabhi bi aa sakthi hai. Let's enjoy our free time for now. Call karo aur kaho ki hum resign kar rahe hai" Kartik said as he ran around the house shouting "Bag pack karni hai!"_ (So what? We will get some other job. We've been looking for other jobs anyways. You applied for that school job a few days ago no, the call can come in at anytime, Let's enjoy this free time for now. Call and inform that we are resigning)_

Aman just sighed at Kartik's antics and looked at the letter once more before sighing again with a small smile. Whoever this girl was... he didn't know what to make out of her. She had apparently met Kartik on the train, ran away from someone and... he won't say broke into the house but... entered the house via the window and sprouted some prophetic nonsense and then left and now this... well... bags don't pack on their own, do they?

And that's how the two men, freshly fired from their jobs, found themselves at the Delhi airport, waiting for their plane to Goa to arrive.

The first day of their honeymoon was fun. They had checked into the resort, refreshed themselves before heading out for a small walk, taking in the surroundings and the fresh sea air that lured them towards the beach. (Their benefactor had been kind enough to book a resort near the beach)

They walked along the beach, breathing in the fresh air and the way the sand got into the shoes, enjoying the small talks and silence. Spotting some water sports going on, Kartik dragged Aman along with him, wanting to try it out.

They went on the jet ski, twice, laughing madly as the water splashed on them, Kartik hugging Aman from behind, clearly enjoying the ride and the way Aman looked, completely drenched in water and a big smile on his face and Kartik couldn't resist himself and kissed him fiercely, Aman reciprocating his feelings.

They then tried out some parasailing, Aman cursing Kartik all the time he was in air, shouting bloody murder while Kartik filmed it, planning on sending the video to Goggle. Well... Kartik had enjoyed his turn, whooping and shouting as he enjoyed the wind on his face.

They they then sat down on the sand, out of breath and nearly done for the day, watching the sun set over the horizon with a smile. Aman found himself staring at Kartik after a while, admiring the way the sunset lit up Kartik's face, literally and figuratively, the rays catching on the nose ring and it shined brightly. Kartik, feeling Aman's stare, turned towards him, just in time to kiss Aman on his lips. They then decided to head back to the resort to turn in for the night, completely exhausted.

The next morning they woke up pretty early, deciding to visit the Cabo de Rama fort and some of the nearby beaches that were en route. Climbing the ruins was tedious with the steep steps and uneven pathways but the view in the end was totally worth it as the stood on the top of the first watchtower, leaning on one of the cannon with arms around each other, drinking in the view of the blue sea sparkling in the sunlight and the greenery that surrounded the fort at a distance.

They took a few cheesy selfies and pictures, sitting on one of the cannons and with the view before climbing down that tower and heading to the other side of the fort.

They passed a small chapel and sat down in the shade of the tree for a breather before climbing up the other side of the fort, taking caution of the roots that might trip them. After more pictures and enjoying the scenic beauty, they spotted a small trial that led them to the sea from the fort.

It was a quite adventurous trail, the steps were nearly invisible, the path was slippery with sand and narrow and steep at places but they managed to climb down onto the rocks that had small pools of sea water, crabs moving around the rocks with the melody of waves crashing in the background.

It was a peaceful cove compared to the noisy beaches they had visited till then. (Technically they had visited only two of them but hey! Who cared?) Judging by the trek they had, they could understand that not many people climbed down the trail to see this small cove. They sat one of the the few dry rocks, well... on Kartik's lap in Aman's case, catching their breath to climb back up while taking in the scenery around them.

They then climbed back up to the fort and decided to call it a day after briefly visiting two more beaches on the way, watching another picturesque sunset from one of the beaches when they spotted a tattoo shop. Kartik caught the look on Aman's eyes when the spotted the shop and resigned to get another tattoo as Aman dragged them to the place.

Surprisingly, even Aman got a tattoo this time along with Kartik and when they left the shop, the amount spent on it was worth it as now, both of them had a tattoo above their hearts with a rainbow and their wedding date written inside it. Totally worth it Kartik thought as he saw Aman remove his shirt, ready to retire for the day.

Aman, as if sensing where Kartik's thoughts were heading to, just said "Aaj nahi yaar, thak gaya hoon main. Kal toh saara din hum break le rahe hai anyways. Ab ke liye so ja" he said as he climbed onto the bed. Kartik just pouted but agreed with Aman's thoughts and just laid down beside Aman, pressing a kiss to the still sensitive tattoo._ (Not today yaar, I am tired. We are taking a break tomorrow anyways. Sleep for now)_

The next day, as Aman said, was a day of rest. They just enjoyed the day at the pool, a romantic walk at the beach followed by a late night at the bar. They returned back to the resort, completely smashed, hands feeling all over their bodies and it took great patience for them not to remove their clothes before they closed door to their room.

Kartik pushed Aman onto the bed and started kissing all over his body, slowly and passionately and Aman turned the two of them over to return the favour, paying extra attention to the tattoos, slowy lulling him to a sleep with his slow caresses.

The next day was another long day for the couple as they visited the Big Foot Museum, where there were pre recorded audios which were played in such a way that it seemed like the figurines were moving and narrating the history of Goa themselves. "That's so cool" Kartik exclaims as Aman hit him lightly for leaning in to touch one of the figurines.

They visited the small handicraft store that was there and bought something for everyone before moving on to the spice plantation farm. They first offered the guests something to drink and lunch before starting on the tour. Aka, free food that was made from the spices that were grown in the place. It was quite a walk, with the guide pointing out the various trees and plants and talking about their origin and how they are grown.

In the end, there was a small shop that sold the spices and some handicrafts, which the couple decided to buy some for their mom as a gift for her birthday cuz... why not?

The fifth day just consisted of a ride to the Vasco da Gama port and a visit to the Naval Aviation Museum, which they heard was quite famous in Goa. They went around the place, admiring the models of planes and ships and reading the history before going to the gift store and buying matching T Shirts. Well... Kartik wanted to buy a cap but Aman strictly said no, stating the number of caps they already have back home.** (A/N: So true in my case, there is literally a bag or two lying around in my home. And my parents refuse to get me any of the souvenir keychains.)**

They enjoyed the view of the harbour from afar and drove back to the resort, visiting the beach nearby again, had a romantic dinner watching the sunset, buying some more souvenirs before Aman snuck out of the store and went to the nearby rice writing stand.

"Ready hai kya bhaiyaa?" Aman asked. "Haan ji, yeh lijiye" the shopkeeper said as he handed over 6 keychains and 2 pendants, each one having a small plastic tube filled with oil and a grain of rice with something written on it. Aman snuck back to Kartik, who hadn't even noticed his husband's absence while he was fawning over... was that a snow globe? Aman dragged Kartik out of the store after paying for the everything they had purchased, wondering whether it will fit into their bags or not._ (Is it ready bhaiyaa?) (Yes sir, here you go)_

That night, as they finished packing their bags (to be read as stuffing their bags to the max) Aman decided that it was the right time. Kartik, ek minute aankhe band karlo na?" he asked and Kartik complied obediently, not trying to take a sneak peak of what is happening._ (Kartik, close your eyes for a minute?)_

Aman took out one of the pendants and linked it through the silver chain that his dad had given him. "Yeh parampara hai, hum isko daamad se dete hai shaadi ke baad. Tumhi Kartik ko dedena isko" he had said while handing it over him._ (This is a tradition, we give this to the son in law after marriage. You give this to Kartik)_

Aman then went behind Kartik and clasped it around his neck, letting the pendant fall. Kartik furrowed his brows before giving Aman an amused smile. "Necklace hai kya?" he asked. "Tum hi dekhlo" Aman said in reply. Kartik opened his eyes and immediately touched the pendant, feeling around it before bringing it up to his eyes. _(Is it a necklace?) (See it for yourself)_

"Awwww that's so sweet!" Kartik exclaimed as he examined the craftsmanship. "Kab kareedha tumne ise?" he asked as he squinted to read what was written on the grain of rice. "Aaj hi, jab tumne us snow globe ko eyeball kar rahe the" Aman said._ (Awwww that's so sweet! When did you get it done and buy it?) (Today, when you were eyeballing the snow globe)_

"Mere... liye... tum... Kaafi ho" he read, turning it over "Kartik Aman" he whispered, reading the other side of the grain and pulled Aman into a hug, gushing out a lot of thank yous.

"Toh samaj loon tumhe yeh pasandh aayi?" Aman asked, hugging him back. Kartik just took one of his hands and slipped something into them. Now it was Aman's turn to furrow his brows while breaking the hug to get a good look at what Kartik had slipped into his hand._ (So can I take it that you liked it?)_

Turns out, it was a simple charm bracelet that Kartik had asked someone to make here, the multicolour wires spelling out "Kartik&Aman" standing out against the black band, with small charms of a heart, rainbow and their first letters hanging out of it.

"Bohot sundar hai. Kab kareedha tumne isse?" Aman whispered as he studies the intricate designs that were dotted around the bracelet. "Us samay jab maine washroom gaya tha dinner ke baad. We are such saps" Kartik said as he noticed the silent tears flowing down their faces and laughed, Aman joining in it as he silently wiped it off. Yeah, their honeymoon had ended well._ (Its very beautiful. When did you get this done?) (That time when I said I was going to the washroom. We are such saps)_

**A/N: Karman honeymoon is done! Rajni/Kusum honeymoon up next****! Confession time: Details might not be that good, visited Goa with my family nearly... 2 to 3 years ago? So I tried to describe whatever I felt with a touch of romance, that's all. Might not be the best... but I tried!****  
**

**Hope you all like this chapter! All comments and criticism accepted and appreciated! This fic is betaed by girl. with. passion! Any prompts are welcome! Question... what will be the ship name for Goggle and Kusum? (I've been calling them Rajnum/Kujni but... idk!)**

**Thank you all for reading!**

**Rasi10 signing off**

**Published on 11 March 2020 **


	3. Rajnum Honeymoon

**A/N: Honeymoon of Kusum and Goggle, might be angsty in the end...**

**Warning: Auto corrects and typos are always behind my back so please forgive me for any mistakes. And please don't get mad at my attempt at typing Hindi, it is NOT my First or Second language so I am prone to make mistakes.  
**

It all started when the Tripathi household was woken up by two excited shrieks. "Ab kya hua?" Shankar asked as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. "Patha nahi kya hua. Woh toh Goggle aur Kusum hi the na?" Sunaina asked, tying her hair up in a loose bun._ (What happened now?) (I don't know what happened. It was Goggle and Kusum right)_

"Goggle ko ab kya hua" Chaman groans into the pillow as Champa rushed out of the door. "Kya hua ki itne subah sabhi ko chillake uta rahe ho tum dono?" she asked as she came downstairs. The said couple was decent enough to at least look sheepish for waking them all up._ (What happened to Goggle now?) (What happened now that you are waking up everyone by shouting?)_

"Um... woh... mummyji... hume..." Kusum stuttered as everyone started crowding in. "Tumhe kya?" Sunaina asked. "Honeymoon ke liye ek kath aayi hai" Goggle finished. "Honeymoon ke liye kath?" Chaman asked, confused._ (Um... that... mummy... we...) (You what?) (Got a letter regarding honeymoon) (A letter for honeymoon?)_

"Ji papa, aap hi dhekiye" Kusum said as she handed over the letter._ (Yes papa, see it for yourself)_

**_Dear Rajnum,_**  
**_Shaadi mubarak. Batha na? Everything will be fine? Honeymoon illama enna kalyaanam? That's why, ennoda gift for your marriage. Enjoy! I'll be seeing you guys real soon!  
P.S Kartik aur Aman ko bhi yeh gift de chuki hoon. _**  
**_P.P.S _****_Namaste_****_ Tripathi parivaar ko. Naa R, _****_let's_****_ just say in chaaron ka ek _****_dost_****_ hoon, honeymoon sponsor panren. Let them enjoy._**  
**_R_**

_(Dear Rajnum,  
__Congrats on your marriage. I told you no? Everything will be fine? What marriage without a honeymoon? That's why, my gift to you. Enjoy! I'll be seeing you guys real soon!  
__P.S I've offered this to Aman and Kartik also  
__P.P.S Greetings to the Tripathi family. I am R, lets just say I am a friend to the four of them, and am sponsoring their honeymoon. Let them enjoy.  
R)__  
_

"Beti, yeh R character kaun hai?" Shankar asked. "Woh... humne train mein mili thi jab main Kartik ke saath waapas aa rahe the." Goggle said. "Aur maine usko terrace pe mili jab Aman se baath karne ke liye gayi. Bohot strange character hai, par... usne hume humara pyaar jeethne ke liye humari madat ki" Kusum said._ (Dear, who is this R character?) (She... I met her in the train when I was returning home with Kartik) (And I met her in the terrace when I was going to talk with Aman. She is a strange character but... she helped us win our love)_

"Achcha? Aur yeh honeymoon ke liye kahaan bejh rahi hai tumhe ki itne kush ho gayi tum dono?" Champa asked. "Kerala, 6 days 5 nights trip! Complete stretch from Thiruvanathapuram to Kanyakumari dekhne ki chance milegi! Aur wohi sponsor kar rahi hai yeh trip, almost all costs covered!" Goggle said excitedly._ (Oh yeah? And where is she sending you for the honeymoon?) (Kerala, 6 days 5 nights trip! We get the chance to see the complete stretch from Thiruvanathapuram to Kanyakumari! And she is sponsoring the trip, almost all costs covered!)_

"Yeh... trip plan ko dhika" Chaman asked, a serious expression in his face. Kusum silently passes on the second slip of paper that had been in there._ (Show me the trip plan)_

(Kerala - Kovalam)

Basic plan [take care of the details laterz ;) ]

Day 1: Check in at Kovalam, local tours?

Day 2: Trivandrum fort, Padhmanabaswamy temple

Day 3: Boathouse day

Day 4: Padhmanabapuram Palace, Kanyakumari stay over

Day 5: Nagercoil, back to Kovalam

Day 6: Flight back

"Bol rahi hai ki non stop trip toh nahi mili par... Bangalore main ek stop hai thodi dher ke liye but we will manage" she said. Shankar just hummed and looked at the two of them, pleading eyes put forth his way._ (She's saying that the plane won't be non stop, there is a layover at Bangalore for sometime but we will manage)_

"Ek shart par" he said after sometime. "Koi problem ho, hume phone karoge. Aur daily tum updates doge ki kya kiya tum logo ne." he said with a smile._ (On one condition. You will call us everyday and update what happened. And if there is any problem, you will call us immediately.) _

The two of them looked and each other and smiled broadly as they accepted the condition. "Arey, aaj shyaam ki flight hai tumhari. Jaldi tayaar hoja tum dono, ya phir miss karenge" Sunaina said as she chased them away to pack their bags._ (Arey! Your flight is booked for this evening. Get ready soon or you will miss it)_

"Yeh sahi decision hai kya?" Chaman asked. "Mujhe nahi patha, par the girls trust her toh... I think it'll be alright" Shankar said. "Anyways, ek learning experience hogi un keliye akhele travel karne ki. We can't expect them to travel with family all the time" he said._ (Is this the right decision?) (I don't know but the girls trust her so... I think it'll be alright. Anyways, it will be a learning experience to travel together and all. We can't expect them to travel with the family all the time)_

"Guddu aur Kartik bhi..." Champa said. "They'll manage. Travel ki hai un dono ne kahi baar akhele, fikar math kar. Waapas aane ke baad zaroor hume call karenge un dono" Chaman said._ (Guddu and Kartik also...) (They'll manage. They have travelled alone before, don't worry. They will call us after they return surely)_

After a lot of hustle and bustle and many shouting matches later, the duo were ready to leave home for their impromptu honeymoon. "Stay safe. Ek doosre ka khayaal rakna. Anjaani jaga hai na... manage karloge?" Champa asked._ (Stay safe. Take care of each other. It is an unknown place... will you manage?)_

"Hum manage karlenge mummy. Fikar math kar. Aur haan, sabhi ke liye kuch lekar aayenge hum, especially banana chips" Rajni said, expecting Sunaina's request._ (We will manage mummy. Don't worry about us. And yeah, we will get something for everyone, especially banana chips)_

"Theek hai, ab chalen? Dher ho rahi hai. Aur zaroor phone karenge hum daily." Kusum reassured before saying their goodbyes and getting into the taxi. "The girls have grown up" Chaman said, as if he had just realised it. "Budhu, un dono... they grew up before their time. Yeh bas next step hai" Shankar said, hitting his brother on his head, causing everyone to laugh._ (Ok, shall we leave? It is getting late. And we will call you everyday)_

Soon, they both had boarded their flights, got over the layover and they had landed at the Trivandrum airport. A taxi cab ride later, they were checking into the resort and settling down. The room looked more like a 1 BHK flat the couple thought as they enter the said place. A slanted tile roof small house that had one kitchen, 1 bedroom and a view that was beautiful, the beach visible from their placement.

The beach just opposite to the resort they were staying in and they were determined to make use of it and view the sunset at the beach every day. They decided to stay in for the rest of the day, going out for a few walks to look around the neighbourhood and making some small talks about their favourite things and experiences.

That evening they went out to lay down in the beach, opening up a video call with the family, enjoying the colours of the sunset while exchanging few words. The call ended and Goggle sat up and looked over at Kusum, all thoughts slamming to a stop as she took in the serene look on her face and the way the light played on her face.

"Kuch laga hai kya mere face par?" Kusum asked as she sat up, bringing Rajni back to the living world. "Kuch bhi nahi." she said and leaned in to give Kusum a quick peck on her cheeks before pulling away, blushing. Kusum just laughed before pulling her into a kiss, silently removing her glasses._ (Is there something on my face?) (No, nothing)_

"Waapas do yaar, the light is too bright" Rajni said, squinting hard. Kusum just pouted before putting the glasses back on. "Sooraj neeche jaane ke baad it will be tolerable. Tab I will remove them" Rajni pacified._ (Give it back yaar, the light is too bright) (It will be tolerable after sunset. Then I will remove them)_

They went back to the resort for a simple dinner before turning back in. "Ek bed share kar sakthe hai na?" Kusum asked suddenly. "Of course, koi problem nahi hai" Rajni said. _(We can share the same bed no?) (Of course, no problem with it.)_

Soon, both of them were on the bed, awkwardly twisting around to make themselves comfortable. In the end, Rajni sighed and removed her glasses and called Kusum. "Aaj ke liye we will just lay down side by side. Positions kuch aur samay explore karte hai. Ab toh just concentrate on sleeping. Kal toh ek lamba din hoga" she said._ (We will lay down side by side today. We will explore positions some other time. For now, concentrate on sleeping. Tomorrow will be a long day)_

And it was a long day. They spent the whole day walking around the Trivandrum fort and went to the Padhmanabaswamy temple. And damn that temple was grand and crowded. They went around the whole temple, marvelling at the architecture and precision with which the statues and intricate carvings were made on it.

After getting a darshan of the Lord (There was a very long queue that it was quite hard), they went outside to look at the various handicraft stalls and pooja item stalls when they spotted her. "R?" Both of them called out, causing the girl to turn around. "Oh hi! Kaise ho tum dono?" R asked as she approached them. "It's all going well. Tum yahaan kya kar rahi ho?" Rajni asked._ (Oh hi! How are you two?) (It's all going well. What are you doing here?)_

"Kuch nahi, sight seeing, nothing else. And maybe ungalukku tour guide vela paakalama nu I was thinking." she said. "Kya?" Kusum asked. "Maine kaha ki main aapki tour guide hoon, voluntarily of course" R said._ (Nothing much, sight seeing, nothing else. And maybe thinking of whether I want to be your tour guide) (What?) (I said I was thinking of becoming your tour guide, voluntarily of course)_

"Par kyon yeh sab kar rahi ho?" Kusum asked. "Mujhe kya patha, woh author... I mean, what I meant to say was that... I act by instinct so and it has never let me down till now." R said, causing the couple to look at her strangely before shrugging it off._ (But why are you doing all this?)_

"Anyways, humare paas abhi aadha din baaki hai... haathi safari karne ka man hai kya? One hour drive back and forth, but it will be worth it." she asked. "Haathi ke upar savaar karne allow karenge? Lekar chal na, I've always wanted to do it!" Goggle said excitedly._ (Anyways, we have another half a day left... want to go on an elephant ride? One hour drive back and forth I guess, but it will be worth it) (The will allow us to ride an elephant? Take me there no, I've always wanted to do it!)_

"She has spoken, let's go" Kusum said and so they drove to the elephant camp. And true to the word, they were allowed to pet the animal, feed them if they felt brave enough, take pictures and even ride on them. "Humari ek picture lo na jab hum haathi ke upar hai?" Rajni asked, handing over R her phone. _(Take a picture of us when we are on top of the elephant?)_

Kusum had never seen Goggle laugh the way she was laughing then, sitting on top of the elephant and shrieking as they encountered a bump. After they got off the elephant, Kusum looked through the pictures and sent the one where she was hugging her baby, both of them mid laugh, to her phone as a screen saver.

The day ended with R saying that she will meet them the day after tomorrow for the drive to Kanyakumari. They paid a short visit to the beach again and went to bed, waiting in anticipation for what the next day had in store for them.

Kusum woke up first that day, cuddled up in the arms of Rajni and she smiled and snuggled in some more, the movement waking up Rajni. "Good morning" she said, kissing Kusum's hair silently. "Good morning to you too" she greeted back and sat up. "Aaj toh hum house boat ride par jaana hai so wear something comfortable" Kusum said as she sat up._ (We are going on a houseboat ride today so wear something comfortable)_

Both of them freshened up and went down to enjoy the day at the backwaters. And it was a beautiful experience, the two of them with some of the locals who were guiding the boat or stating facts of the places they were passing by, stopping by at one or two islands for sightseeing before stopping for a quick lunch with the local cuisine in the boat itself, water gently lapping and rocking the boat... it was amazing and peaceful, just to look out and enjoy the view.

The called up the family en route back to the docks, showing them the interiors of the intricate yet simple boat, this time enjoying the sunset from the boat itself. It felt a little different, rocking in a boat while watching the sunset but... at the same time it was more beautiful, looking at the sun through the trees that surrounded the place.

That night, they retired early, Kusum being the big spoon for the day, excited for the road trip tomorrow. True to her words, R turned up at about 8, ready to drive them to the Padhmanabapuram palace. "Not the exact honeymoon destination... but it will be fun looking around. Plus you will have some quiet places there" she had said.

So started the long drive. "And... I am he from now on, not a she" he said suddenly. "What?" Rajni asked, not sure that she had heard her (him?) correctly. "Arey baba, I'm gender fluid, do you know what it is?" he asked. When they shook their head, R sighed, not wanting to give the explanation but knew she had to in order for them to understand.

"I was born a girl but I didn't feel comfortable wearing the girly clothing always. At times it was like... I didn't belong to this body. One time, I had a major tantrum, causing amma and appa taking me to the psychologist. It was then we all realised that I was gender fluid. That is, I cannot exactly name myself as a male or female. One second, I might be all the girly type and the next second, I behave like a boy. Its a bit complicated... tough to explain." he explained, letting the information sink in.

"But then came the confusion of what pronoun to use. So I usually state whether I am a he or a she so that people won't be confused. My appearance doesn't change, I will still look like a girl only. My hormones are the cause. Due to this... I don't get many marriage offers after they come to know about this fact. Not that I am actually interested in it." R said.

"Par us din..." "Us din maine jooth boli ki gunde mere peeche aa rahe hai. Convince karni hai na mujhe tum andhar allow karne ke liye. Isi liye bola" he said. The rest of the ride was spent in silence till they reached the Padmanabapuram Palace. They had a small snack before going to explore the palace._ (But that day...) (I lied to you that day about the goons chasing me. Needed to convince you somehow to let me, a stranger, in, That's why I said that)_

It was a huge place and also a very popular tourist destination they thought as they saw the number of tourists surrounding the place. R explained the history of the place in brief before going on about the rooms and the items that were used in that period and the couple zoned out after sometime, just wanting to study the architecture of the place,** (I am bringing that up a lot right?)** looking at how different the architecture is from what they have seen.

Soon, they left the place and visited some of the shops nearby and bought a lamp with a hole in the bottom. "What's special about this lamp is that the oil won't leak off the hole in the bottom even though you will pour it through that hole. See?" R translated and demonstrated. It also had some nice carvings on it, depicting some scene from some mythology.

They then started their drive to Kanyakumari, reaching there near the time of sunset. "Bura na mano toh... may I ask your full name?" Kusum asked. "Ranjini, par I usually introduce myself as R, confusion thoda kam hogi. Welcome to Kanyakumari, the southern tip of India. Yahaan se tumhe suryaast aur moonrise dono ek hi samay dekh sakthe ho. It will be a nice view. And we are just in time too!" he said as he parked the car._ (No offence but... May I ask your full name?) (Ranjini, par I usually introduce myself as R, just so that no one is confused. Welcome to Kanyakumari, the southern tip of India. From here, you can see the sunset and moonrise at the same time. It will be a nice view. And we are just in time too!)_

They all got out and went to the beach and picked out a nice spot and sat down. "There is your moonrise" he said, pointing to the east "and you sunset, at the same time. It won't happen everyday though. We were lucky today" he pointed. "Wait a sec, main abhi aatha hoon" he excused himself, leaving the couple alone._ (Wait a sec, I'll be back soon)_

"Bohot sundar hai na?" Kusum asked, looking at it in awe, the colours painting the sky and the sea. Just as they were leaning in to kiss, they heard the click of the camera and jumped up. "Sorry to disturb but... scene was worth it. First date pic samaj lo" R said as he showed the picture._ (It is very beautiful no?)_

And the picture was indeed beautiful. It showed the two of them leaning in towards each other, the sun on one side and the moon on the other with the ocean and the big statue in the background. "So, this place was named after the Goddess Kanya Kumari, the big statue you can see over there is the Valluvar Statue, very famous poet especially in Tamil literature, the poet of Thirukkural, which are couplets sort of. And that building on the rock is the Vivekananda memorial and I've booked the ferry tomorrow which will take us to both places" R detailed the plan for the next day.

"Ab kya kar rahe hai hum?" Goggle asked. "Tum tumhari date par jaa rahi hai. I've set everything up, now just enjoy yourselves. See you tomorrow!" he said and took his leave._ (What are we doing now?) (You are going on your date. I've set everything up, now just enjoy yourselves. See you tomorrow!)_

One date later, they checked into the hotel and slept soundly. The next day, they went on the ferry, visited the memorial and saw the statue from a close up while R talked about various things. Soon, they had bought their souvenirs and we're back at the car, ready to drive back to the resort. They made a small stop at Nagercoil for lunch before driving back to Kovalam.

"Thanks na, for all this" Rajni said with a small smile. "Arey, no problem dude, friends toh madat karte hai ek doosre ko. Aur haan, I know what your unasked question is. Mujhe first of all kaise patha ki tum chaaron ki happy ending hui na? I've always been like that... as Kartik said, prophetic, astrologer ki tarah. Mann mein kya hai, woh bolungi, it is my instinct." R said._ (Arey, no problem dude, friends always help each other. And yeah, I know what your unasked question is. How did I know that you all will get your happy ending right? I've always been like that... as Kartik said, prophetic, like an astrologer. I will tell whatever is on my mind, it is my instinct.)_

They were back at the resort in Kovalam, bid their farewells and went their own way. That night, Kusum decided to take the first step, slowly kissing Rajni, pushing her onto the bed, her hands wandering downwards slowly, removing the hooks of her top slowly.

The tops were removed and they were feeling each other, still kissing each other passionately. Then came the breaking point. Kusum had gently un clasped the bra and removed it, moving to touch the nipple when Goggle started shaking. "Kya hua?" Kusum whispered as she lightly brushed over the nipple. Rajni sat up real quickly, pushing Kusum away as she hugged her knees and gasped._ (What happened?)_

"Kya hua Rajni?" Kusum asked, panic showing in her voice as she saw her love breaking down. She moved to hold her but Rajni pushed her away again, asking her to please stay away for a sometime while she figures out what happened. The desperation in her voice broke Kusum but she complied and left the room._ (What happened Rajni?)_

Rajni wildly searched for her phone and called Kartik, not knowing who else to call in this situation. The phone ringed for what felt like infinity before Kartik picked it up.

_"Hello?" _he asked sleepily.

"Kartik..." she broke down again "something is wrong with me"

**A/N: I know... the ending is quite abrupt/a cliffy, whatever you want to call it but I have 2 reasons to leave it like that. a) If I continued, the chapter would've been waaaay tooo long and b) I might've had to say goodbye to studying for tomorrow's exam. So... yeah, in case you don't get what I'm doing here, it'll be explained in the next chapter for sure!**

**Would you like to see more of R? Cuz I'm planning on including her as a side character...**

**Hope you all like this chapter! All comments and criticism accepted and appreciated! This fic is betaed by girl. with. passion! Any prompts are welcome!**

**About the description of the places, its like a vague memory for me as I had visited those places nearly... 5 to 7 years ago give or take? But I tried to describe it as much as I can (Though Kanyakumari... I visited that place like when I was 5 or 6 so... really vague memories!)**

**Thank you all for reading!**

**Rasi10 signing off**

**Published on 12 March 2020**


	4. Discoveries and Discussions

**A/N: Another chapter! Sorry for missing out two days, math is driving me bonkers. But on a separate note, 3 down 2 to go!**

**Scene: Kartik explains vaguely about what he thinks is happening and a filler.**

**Warning: Auto corrects and typos are always behind my back so please forgive me for any mistakes. And please don't get mad at my attempt at typing Hindi, it is NOT my First or Second language so I am prone to make mistakes.  
**

_**Rajni wildly searched for her phone and called Kartik, not knowing who else to call in this situation. The phone ringed for what felt like infinity before Kartik picked it up.**_

_**"Hello?" he asked sleepily.**_

_**"Kartik..." she broke down again "something is wrong with me"**_

Kartik immediately sat up, jostling Aman out of his sleep in the process. "Kya hua yaar, so jaa na?" he said but sat up when his phone started binging insistently. _(What happened? Go back to sleep no?)_

"Rajju, kya hua? What is wrong? Itni raath kyon call kar rahi ho? Kahaan ho tum? Kusum wahi hai na?" Kartik asked rapidly._ (Rajju, what happened? What is wrong? Where are you? Why are you calling me this late at night? Kusum is there no?)_

"Kartik... main... main..." she said, sobbing madly. "Ok, ok, deep breaths, mujhe follow karo. In... out... in... out... bas, aisa hi" he said, exaggerating his breathing so that it will be easier to follow. 10 minutes later, when Rajni was relatively calm, Kartik questioned her again._ (Kartik... I... I) (Ok, ok, deep breaths, follow my breathing. In... out... in... out... that's it, just like that)_

"I... mujhe nahi patha kya hua... ek second we were kissing and the next second, she touched me and I freaked out. It was like... someone was violating me. Par I know ki it was Kusum, it was consensual, phir bhi..." she said. _(I... I don't know what happened... one second we were kissing and the next second, she touched me and I freaked out. It was like... someone was violating me. But I know that it was Kusum, it was consensual, but still...)_

"Achcha... kahaan touch kiya usne?" Kartik asked. "Yeh koi poochne wali baath hai kya? Sharam aani chaahiye tumhe Aadhi" Goggle scolded. _(Ok... where did she touch you?) (IS that something you ask openly? You should be ashamed Aadhi)_

"Dekh, I'm just trying to analysing the situation. I need more data" Kartik said. "She... touched my breast" Goggle said hesitantly. Kartik just hummed. "And you felt disgusted? Even though it was someone you loved?" Kartik confirmed. "Haan, I don't know what to do!" she said.

"Yeh... pahle bhi hua hai kya?" Kartik asked, an idea forming in his mind. Sensing her hesitance he calmly said "Dekh, I know it is quite uncomfortable yeh sab baath karne mein but... it is important. I need to know in order to help you"_ (This... did it happen before? Look, I know it is uncomfortable to talk about this but... it is important. I need to know in order to help you)_

Rajni just took in a deep breath and let it out. "Ek baar... Rahul ke saath. We were trying to have sex aur jab usne touch kiya mujhe, ulti karne ka man aaya aur ki. Aaj bhi wohi sensation aayi par maine control kiya aur use kamre se baahar jaane ko kaha." she admitted._ (One time... with Rahul. We were trying to have sex and when he touched me... I felt nauseous. Today also I felt the same and controlled it before asking her to leave the room.)_

"Toh tumhe tumhare privates kisi ne touch kiya toh you feel violated, disgusted and ulti karne ki urge hai?" Kartik asked slowly, wanting to confirm. Goggle just hummed._ (So... when someone touches your privates you feel violated, disgusted and nauseous?)_

"Rajju... tussi ace ho?" he asked with a small chuckle. "Saale, main itni serious baath kar rahi hoon aur tum mujhe gadha bula kar has rahe ho!" she shouted angrily._ (Rajju... are you ace?) (Stupid, I am telling you something serious and you are calling me a donkey!)_

"Pagli, main tumhe ASS nahi bulaya. Maine poocha ki if you are ACE" Kartik said. "Main koi probability ka confusion card nahi hoon" she grumbled._ (Idiot, I didn't call you an ASS. I asked you if you are ACE) (I am not a that confusion card of probability)_

"Rajju, woh cards wala ace nahi, ace as in asexual. Are you asexual?" he asked, controlling his laughter. "Woh kya hota hai... yeh asexual?" Rajni asked hesitantly._ (Rajju, I am not talking about the ace that you find in cards, ace as in asexual. Are you asexual?) (What is this... asexual?)_

"Main specialist nahi hoon so I can't be sure but... tumhare anusaar, it can be possible. Asexual... kaise bataoon... people who don't experience sexual attraction ya phir who are not comfortable with the act, tumhari tarah. Mujhe uske peeche woh biology nahi patha par... it can be possible" Kartik explained._ (I am not a specialist so I can't be sure but... according to what you said, it can be possible. Asexual... how do I put it... people who don't experience sexual attraction or who are not comfortable with the act, like you. I don't know the exact biology behind it but... it can be possible)_

"Toh... main normal hoon na? Yeh abnormal nahi hai?" Rajni asked. "Haan haan, tum normal ho, there's nothing wrong with you. It is completely natural." Kartik reassured. Before any of them could talk, Aman called for Kartik._ (So... this is normal right? It is nothing abmormal?) (Yeah yeah, you are normal, there's nothing wrong with you. It is completely natural)_

"Kusum hai, tab se message kar rahi hai, ruk hi nahi rahi! Idhar dhek!" he exclaimed as he trust his phone towards Kartik. He just saw the messages and sighed. "Bolo use ki main abhi Rajni se baath kar rahi hoon, kuch nahi hua hai, fikar math kar. She will talk to her soon. Message ko send kar" Kartik said._ (It is Kusum, she is messaging me from that time, she's not stopping! Look at this!) (Tell her that Rajni is talking with me right now, nothing happened, there is nothing to worry about. She will talk to her soon. Send the message)_

"Par kya hua ki itni raath mein dono itna pareshaan hai?" Aman asked, confused. "Baad mein explain karta hoon. Abhi ke liye yeh message usko becho" Kartik said and went back talking to Rajni._ (But what happened that they are this worried?) (I will explain it later. Just send the message now)_

"Haan, kuch nahi, Kusum Aman ko messages bech rahi hai, bohot pareshaan hai woh. Ek kaam karo, tum use baath karlo ki kya hua aur so jaa. Waapas tum Allahabad jaane ke baad call karonga aur baath karne ke liye. Bye!" Kartik said and cut the call with a sigh._ (Yeah, nothing, Kusum is messaging Aman, she is really worried. Do one thing, you talk with her and then sleep. After you go back to Allahabad we can talk more about this. Bye!)_

"Kya hua Goggle ko?" Aman asked. "Rajju toh most likely ace nikli" Kartik said. "Goggle ace nikli?" Aman asked, just to be sure. "Most likely baba, hume surely nahi batha" Kartik said. "Ab so jaa, Delhi waapas jane ke baad hum iske baare mein discuss karlenge. Kal subah ka flight hai na?" Kartik said as he pulled Aman back into his chest, shuffling around to get comfortable before the both went back to sleep again._ (What happened to Goggle?) (We just figured out that Rajju is most likely ace) (Goggle is ace?) (Most likely baby, we don't know for sure. Now go to sleep, we will talk about this after we go back to Delhi. The flight is early tomorrow no?)_

Meanwhile, Kusum was knocking on Rajni's door, asking to come inside. "Ek second!" Rajni said before opening the door. "Ab... ab tum theek ho na?" she asked. "Kartik se baath karne ki baad aur confused hui hoon" Rajni confessed._ (Now... you are ok now?) (I'm more confused after talking to Kartik)_

"Kyon? Kya hua?" Kusum asked. "Um... woh... I feel weird when someone touches my private parts... almost like... koi mujhe violate kar raha hai... I feel disgusted, even if it is someone I love... Rahul ke saath bhi aisa hi hua. We had agreed to not have sex then. Par... Maine socha ki yeh waqt ke saath it'll go off par..." Rajni said, not knowing how to word it._ (Why? What happened?" (Um... woh... I feel weird when someone touches my private parts... almost like... someone is violating me... I feel disgusted, even if it is someone I love... it happened with Rahul also. We had agreed to not have sex then. But... I thought that it will fade away in time...)_

"Toh... tumhe sex uncomfortable lagtha hai... kissing is ok na?" Kusum asked. Rajni immediately kissed Kusum, showing her the answer. "Sex hi life nahi hai na? Boundaries find karke we can work it out. Ab so jaa, subah shopping karne ke baad flight pakadni hai." Kusum said._ So... you feel uncomfortable with sex... kissing is ok no? Sex is not life is it? We will figure out the boundaries and work it out later on. Now go to sleep, we need to catch the flight after some shopping) _

"Kartik kuch bol raha tha... called me that silly confusion card of probability" Rajni said. "Kartik ne tumhe ace kaha?" Kusum asked looking at her weirdly. "Something about asexual and stuff... mujhe nahi patha who kya bak raha tha us samay. Bola ki he will explain later" Rajni said._ (Kartik said something... called me that silly confusion card of probability) (Kartik called you an ace?) (Something about asexual and stuff... I don't know what he was blabbering about that time. He told he will explain later)_

"Toh fikar karne ki kya zaroorat hai? Ghar jaakar patha karlenge, simple! Ab so ja" she said, lying down on the bed. Rajni just lay down beside her, staring blankly at the ceiling until sleep consumed her._ (Then why are you worrying? We will go home and get to know, simple! Now sleep)_

The next morning when the two of them were ready to leave the place, they found a pamphlet slipped in through the door. _**'This might help you : )**_ _**\- R'**_ . It read on top and Rajni opened it out of curiosity. "Arey, yeh toh LGBT ke baare main baath kar raha hai isme" Kusum said, peeping from Rajni's back. "Baad mein dekhlenge, ab dher ho rahi hai." she said, trying to steer away from the topic. Kusum just kept the pamphlet in her bag and they checked out of the resort.

After all the shopping (including the banana chips, loads of it) they finally got on the flight back home. Kusum was the one who started flipping through the pamphlet, Rajni leaning to read the whatever was written in it. It didn't give them a detailed explanation of what is asexuality and stuff but there was enough to cover the gist of what it was.

"Papa ko yeh kab kahoge?" Kusum asked after sometime. "Not anytime soon... I mean... its not like mujhe dar lag raha hai kehne pe... its more like humko uske baare mein aur seekhna chaahiye so that we know ki kya ho rahi hai..." Rajni said. Kusum just hummed, getting what she was trying to say. _(When will you tell about this to papa?) ( Not anytime soon... I mean... its not like __I'm_ _afraid__ to tell about it to him... its more like I want to get to know more about it so that we know what and how to explain __what's__ happening...)_

In the end, after going home, they silently started researching about asexuality, the spectrum it covers, how it works and even read through the experiences some of them were brave enough to share about how they discovered that they were ace and how they learned to live around it.

It was a bit surprising, going through all the stories people have shared, trying to relate with it and all... they haven't yet started to talk about boundaries, wanting to learn more about the topic and accepting it before trying anything.

Meanwhile, Kartik and Aman were out searching for a job, after all, they were fired from their jobs just before their honeymoon. Two days after they had returned, Aman got his call from the school, informing him to come for a demo teaching session in exactly a week from then.

That had spurred Aman into work. He was sitting with text books, day and night, trying to dumb down some of the concepts he knew to the level acceptable for school children, revising the curriculum so that he would be ready for anything.

Which also meant that Kartik often found Aman sleeping on the couch with a book in his hand whenever he sat with Aman after a long day of randomly wandering around giving interviews. "Thodi dher break le lo yaar" he used to say whenever he used to wake up Aman to get him to bed. _(Take a break for sometime)_

"I don't care if it is the position of a substitute teacher or a lab assistant, I want to prove that I am fit for the job" he used to mutter sleepily and Kartik would always shake his head with a amused smile before taking him to bed.

The day of the demo came and Aman was really very nervous. "Maine agar achcha nahi kiya toh?" he asked, fiddling with the cuffs of his shirt. "Fikar math kar tum, tera job toh pakki hai. You are my baby strongest, iske liye dar raha hai tu?" Kartik asked as he gave him a peck on his cheek. _(What if I __don't__ do well?) (__Don't__ you worry, you will get the job. You are my baby strongest, and this little thing __scaring__ you?)_

"Ab jaa na, I'll drop you there. Anyways, mera interview ke liye bhi time ho rahi hai." Kartik said as he put on his bag. "Chalen?" Kartik asked and Aman followed. _( Come on now, I'll drop you there. Anyways, __it's__ time that I leave for my interview also)_

"Rock it baby, mil jaayegi job" Kartik said as he pulled Aman into a kiss. "And good luck" he whispered, their foreheads touching, giving Aman a reassuring smile. He just took a deep breath and let looked at Kartik, returning his smile before giving him another kiss. "Tum bhi achcha karoge interview mein. Good luck" he said and walked away confidently. _(Rock it baby, you will __bag_ _the__ job. And __good__ luck) (You will also do well in __the__ interview. Good luck)_

And Aman had bagged the job successfully, he was to join the school staff the following week for a brief meeting and other formalities. Apparently a teacher was retiring the next month and he had been a ray of hope in the desperate times of finding a substitute.

Kartik had also got his job call the following week. What job you might ask. A simple yet emotional job... entertaining the patients at a children's hospital.

Well technically that is a side job, like a... side hobby he is willing to do for free. It had initially been Aman's suggestion, to use his dramatics for something good and this he thought was the perfect way to do it.

His main job was actually writing articles for a weekly magazine, a moderately well paying job that also appreciates Kartik's flair of dramatically exaggerated writing of simple events. He had initially grabbed the attention of the magazine through that after all, when he had given an entry of how he managed to get a boyfriend in one of the contests, just two days before going to Allahabad.

It was while writing another article about the children's hospital as a test article for his skill test that he had this urge to be a child again with all the sick children, making them smile and laughing despite their illness, it just stuck a chord for him and he had enquired about it to the manager, who had called him to confirm his job as an entertainer for the children whenever he was able to do so.

And so, their lives were settled, for now. Who knows what chaos may come up next?

**A/N: So... yeah, about the fact whether Kusum knew about Ace and all, no, she doesn't. For those who didn't the probability reference, there was an issue of whether to consider the 'Ace' card as a number card or a face card so... yeah. (I had initially considered to write it as Rajni assuming that Kartik called her a trump card but... the ace is not always a trump card so... I changed it to this)**

**Hope you all liked it! All comments and criticism accepted and appreciated! The next chapter will be up tomorrow hopefully. This fic is edited by girl. with. passion! Any prompts accepted!**

**Thank you all for reading!**

**Rasi10 signing off**

**Published on 15 March 2020**


	5. Pride March

**A/N: Kinda a filler chapter where Rajni and Kusum come and visit Karman during the pride march.**

**_One month later_**

The pride parade was becoming the latest gossip for Rajni and Kusum. They sat down with Keshav, grilling him about anything and everything regarding the event, pestering he elders to let them go to Delhi for the upcoming march.

"Anyways, kuch zaroori baath karni hai un dono se, phone pe nahi kar sakthe. It should be a face to face discussion. Aur maybe hum use yahaan aane ke liye convince karenge... two birds in one stone!" Rajni said._ (Anyways, we need to talk to them about something ver important, which can't be talked over the phone. And maybe we can convince them to come over here during the holidays... two birds in one stone!)_

"Par yeh pride march kya hai?" Chaman asked. And the three of them (Keshav, Kusum and Rajni) sat down and started lecturing about what is a pride parade and what happens there._ (But what is this pride march?)_

"Mummy papa ne accept kar liya hai, do hafte ke liye hum tumhare saath reh sakthe hai. Par unhone yeh bhi kaha ki tum dono New Year ke liye Allahabad aana chaahiye ya phir woh tumhare Delhi aa jaayenge" Kusum said while they were talking to Kartik and Aman that night._ (Mom and dad have accepted, we can come over there for two weeks. But they also asked me to inform that if you don't come over to Allahabad for the New Year they will come over to Delhi) _

"Par maine bachchon ko promise kiya ki main unke saath Christmas aur New year bitaaunga!" Kartik said with a pout. Kartik had really grown very close to the kids at the children's hospital, getting to know them and their stories. He enjoyed the way they brightened up whenever he came over to visit, sometimes bringing along Aman whenever he was free. _(But I had promised the kids that I will spend the Christmas and New year with them!)_

"Toh phir Christmas ke pehle weekend aaja na? Aur masterji, weekend main aap free hoge, visit karna koi badi baath nahi." Rajni said, facing Aman. She could understand Kartik's point though, she knew that he felt happy spending time with the kids and didn't have the heart to break his promise. But this was family._ (Then come over the weekend before Christmas no? And masterji, you will be free in the weekend, it is not a big thing to visit)_

"Achcha baba, hum discuss karke batha denge ki hum kab aayenge. Diwali hi toh hum aaye the wahaan. It's not like hum unse milne hi nahi aaye." Aman said. "Woh naraaz hai ki tum unse baath hi nahi karte ho, aur kuch nahi." Kusum said._ (Ok, we will discuss and inform them about when we will come over. We just visited you guys during Diwali. Its not like we didn't come to visit at all) (They are angry that you don't talk with them that often, nothing else)_

"Toh... kab aa rahe ho tum dono?" Kartik asked. "Pride march ki do din pahle. Aur us din se do hafte hum tumhare saath Delhi mein rahenge. Sightseeing bhi karna hai na?" Rajni said._ (So... when are you two coming?) (Two days before the pride march. And we will stay in Delhi for two weeks from then. After all, we need to do sightseeing)_

"Ok then, see you in a week, dher ho rahi hai ab, kal masterji ko toh jaldi jaana hai na? Good night!" Kartik said, ignoring Aman's indignant 'hey' in the background._ (Ok then, see you in a week, its getting late, masterji has to leave pretty early tomorrow no? Good night!)_

Three days after this conversation, Kartik was sitting at home with Aman, both of them just chilling and watching TV when there was a sudden commotion of things being moved around. "Koi vacate kar rahe hai kya? Ya are they moving in?" Kartik asked. Aman just shrugged and went outside to look into it, only to see a very familiar face._ (Is anyone vacating? Or are they moving in?)_

"Tum!" he cried out as he saw her. "Oh hi Aman! Kaise ho tum?" R asked and waved. "Arey Aman kya hua?" Kartik asked as he approached him. "Tum?" Kartik asked in surprise._ (You!) (Oh hi Aman! How are you?) (Aman what happened?)_

"Hello Kartik, kahi thi na ki I'll be seeing you soon? Surprise!" R said. "Tum idhar kya kar rahi ho?" he asked. "I'm a male today. And it's obvious, naa inga shift panren" R said with a shrug._ (Hi Kartik, didn't I tell you that I'll be seeing you guys soon? Surprise!) (What are you doing here?) (I'm a male today. And it's obvious, I'm shifting here)_

"Ek minute, what do you mean you're male today?" Aman asked. R just face palmed and let out a sigh. "Main gender fluid hoon. Aap dono ko bhi iske baare mein explain karni hai kya ya?" she snapped. _(I am gender fluid. Should I also explain to you both about this or what?)_

"Humko patha hai ki gender fluid kya hota hai. We were just surprised when you said that out of the blue" Kartik defended for the both of them. "Did you just say you were shifting?" Kartik asked._ (We know what is gender fluid. We were just surprised when you said it out of the blue)_

"Haan, that's what I told... After all you'll need a babysitter soon. Adai, adha anga vekkadha, indha pakkama vei da! Sonna onnum puriyadhe. Iru, naane varen. See you laterz!" she said and huffed away, letting out a long string of curses. The two of them just blinked. "We are getting a new neighbour then" Aman finally said as he shut the door. _(Yeah, __that's__ what I told... __After__ all __you'll__ need a babysitter soon. Arey, __don't__ keep that there, keep it this side! You won't understand when I say. __Wait__, __I'll__ come myself. See you laterz!)_

Four days later, Kartik had gone out to pick up Rajni and Kusum while Aman was finishing up the cleaning part when someone knocked on the door. "R? Kya chahiye?" Aman asked as he let her in. "Rajni aur Kusum aa rahe hai na? Usse baath karni hai. Aaj main ladki hoon" R said as she entered. _(R? What __do__ you want?) (Rajni and Kusum are coming right? I __need__ to talk with them. __I'm__ a __girl__ today)_

"Achcha theek hai, bhaito idhar, main chai lekar aatha hoon. Thodi dher mein aa jaayenge." Aman said and went into the kitchen to prepare some tea for all of them while giving Kartik a heads up about the guest at home. _(Ok, sit here, __I'll__ bring some tea. __They'll__ come soon)_

The moment the 3 of them entered the house, R got up and asked if the pamphlet pamphlet had helped a little. "Thoda help kiya hai par... it would be better if someone can explain it a bit more clearly." Rajni said. _(It __helped a__ little but... it would be better if someone can explain it a bit more clearly)_

"Ok, ok, koi discussion karne se pehle, tum dono fresh up karke aana, Kartik saaman ko samhal lega." Aman said as he sat down with R, cuz guests shouldn't be left alone yaar._ (Ok, ok, before any discussion, you two freshen up, Kartik will take care of the luggage." _

"Ok so... asexuality..." R said, looking at the four of them. "It's like you don't feel sexual attraction like... kisi ko dekkar 'Hey, mujhe isse sex karne ka man kar raha hai' wali feeling nahi hogi. I mean, that can happen sometimes, it differs from person to person." she said._ (It's like you don't feel sexual attraction like... you don't see someone and feel like 'Hey, I want to have sex with him'. I mean, that can happen sometimes, it differs from person to person.)_

"So there are sub categories?" Kusum asked. "Haan, some people night be totally averse to sex, some might be completely averse to physical contact, some people might not prefer sex until they are in a comfortable relationship, some might not feel the attraction but can do the act... as you said, there is a large spectrum of asexual people. But this is just my understanding of things, you might want to talk with other aces in order to understand more about it..." R said.

"Don't worry, pride march mein tumhe chances milegi aur aces se baath karne ki." Kartik said, looking at Rajni's downtrodden face._ (Don't worry, you will get to talk with fellow aces during the pride march)_

The day before the march was spent on shopping around and looking at the preparations for the said event. Everyone got a cheesy shirt that relates to their sexuality. Kartik had decided to go with the rainbow cape, preferring to paint 'I'm GAY and HAPPILY MARRIED' on his body.

Aman had purchased a shirt with two guys kissing on them which read "I'm So GAY That I Can't Think STRAIGHT". R had purchased a bracelet that was in the shade of her community and a shirt that said "Ask Me WHO I Am, DO NOT ASSUME That I Am Some THING #GENDERFLUID"

Kusum had a shirt with a picture of the Leaning Tower of Pisa with Girls and Boys painted on either sides (technically looked like "Boys / Girls", assuming the slashes as the tower) with a small note painted at the bottom saying "#BiPride"

Rajni's just got a white shirt and tie dyed the shirt with a mix of Pan and Ace colours and painted "I Am A PanAce, Doesn't Mean That I'm A Menace Doing A Penance" on it.

The next day, they proudly wore their outfits and joined in the rally, chatting up with people freely. A lot of people commented on Kartik's tattoos, some complementing Rajni's handmade merch, asking whether she was getting into the business of creating LGBT merch and all in all, it was an eventful day for everyone.

Rajni had her questions answered and could embrace her identity finally. Aman and Kartik could proudly state that they were married out loud into the crowd while R had managed to get someone's phone number. So yeah, all in all, a very eventful day.

**A/N: 4 down 1 to go! Finally a breather from freakin Math *sighs in relief* ! Hope you all like this chapter! All comments and criticism accepted and appreciated! This fic is betaed by girl. with. passion! Any prompts are welcome! Working on the next chapter, will be out either today or tomorrow.**

**NOTE: ALL the t-shirt quotes are my ideas so... if it sounds silly... sorry! Never been to a pride march so... I couldn't exactly describe it...**

**Thank you all for reading!**

**Rasi10 signing off**

**Published on 17 March 2020**


	6. Nightmares and Talks

**AN: I was planning something else and... it ended up this way in the end...**

**Scene: Aman has a nightmare and Kartik consoles him, talks about adoption starts!**

**Warning: Auto corrects and typos are always behind my back so please forgive me for any mistakes. And please don't get mad at my attempt at typing Hindi, it is NOT my First or Second language so I am prone to make mistakes.  
**

The night was silent and everyone was asleep bar from one person, who was lying down in the dark, trying to muffle their sobs, trying to stop shivering badly while constantly whispering "Kartik mujhe maaf kardo." Kartik, who had woken up to the muffled sobs and shivering, gently hugged Aman from behind, muttering sweet nothings to get him to calm down._ (Kartik please forgive me)_

Sometime after the sobs seemed to have calmed down, Kartik gently turned Aman around so that they were face to face, their foreheads touching, looking into each other's eyes. "Kya hua?" Kartik asked gently, love, concern and worry shining in his eyes. "Kuch nahi" Aman muttered, breaking the eye contact as a silent tear escaped him again._ (What happened?) (Nothing)_

"Phir kyon ab ro rahe ho tum jaaneman? Kyon chupa rahe ho tumhare dard mujse?" Kartik asked as he leaned up and placed a soft kiss to his forehead before looking into his eyes again. Aman just shook his head and let out another sob, shifting so that he could place his head on right above Kartik's heart and crush him in a hug. Kartik just helplessly held onto his strong boy, staring at the always calm and composed one breaking down in front of his._ (Then why are you crying my love? Why are you hiding your pain from me?)_

'Is that how he feels whenever I wake up from a nightmare? Helpless and useless, not knowing what to do other than just pick up the broken pieces and silently try to fix it together?" Kartik wonders as he looks down at his love still sobbing, his own heart shattering slowly with each sob. Its not like Kartik hasn't seen Aman break down, he will vehemently deny that but... he will agree that this was the first time that Aman had a breakdown at this scale at it scares the shit out of him.

Slowly the sobs started to calm down to heavy breathing and hiccups and Kartik sat up slowly, bringing up Aman along with him and slightly tilted his head up so that they are seeing eye to eye. He just gently wiped the tears off and cupped Aman's face.

"Abhi toh kaho na ki kya hua? Kisi liye main tumhe maaf karna hai? Tum ne toh kuch galat hi nahi kiya" Kartik said softly. Aman just snuggled closer and sighed, burrowing his face into Kartik's chest again, seeking the comfort from Kartik's steady heart beat._ (Will you at least tell me now what is bothering you? What should I forgive you for? You haven't done anything wrong)_

"Woh din jab papa ne tumhe maar rahe the... maine bhaag gaya tha. I know, tune bhi kaha ki it was not my fault and all par... kayar ke tarah feel kartha hoon baagh jaane ke liye... aur ladaayi na karne ke liye... kabhi kabhi yeh sooch aati hai ki kya hua hoga agar mera papa ne... succeed kiya, what if it had succeeded in breaking us? Sab mera galti hota." Aman said, most of his words muffled by Kartik's chest but still was loud and clear for Kartik,who was just rubbing small circles on Aman's back._  
(That day when papa was beating you... I had run away. I know, you have also said that it was not my fault and all but... I feel like a coward for running away... for not putting up more fight... sometimes I think about what would've happened if papa had... succeeded in breaking us? It would've been my fault)_

"Kabhi kabhi yeh sapna bhi atha hai ki tum mujse naraaz ho, nafrat karte ho aur koshish na karne ke liye, kayar ke tarah baagh jaane ke liye, and then you break off with me and what's worse is that mujhe lagtha hai ki I deserve it tumhe woh chot dobaara paunchane ki, ki I don't deserve your love if I can't stand up for it, I just... mujhe nahi patha ki main yeh sab kyoon soch raha hoon par... I know ke in a small part of my brain main yeh sab feel kartha hoon and I hate that I think like that, I hate myself for it, for hurting you again, for... everything!" Aman cried out and jerked himself out of the embrace and curled onto himself and cried.  
_(Sometimes I dream that you are angry with me, hate me for not trying more, for running away like a coward and then you break off with me and what's worse is that I feel like I deserve it for making you go through that once more, that I don't deserve your love if I can't stand up for it, I just... I don't know why I think or feel like this but... I know that in a small part of my brain I feel this way and I hate that I think like that, I hate myself for it, for hurting you again, for... everything!)_

Kartik tried to reach out to Aman slowly, gently placing his hand on the other's shoulders and slowly pulled him into a hug. "Aman, mere taraf dekho" Kartik said softly, trying to pry his hands off his face after a while. Aman stubbornly refused to move from his position, not wanting to look at the pity and helplessness in Kartik's eyes._ (Aman, look at me)_

"I let both of us down Kartik, I broke the promise I made to myself the moment papa started hitting you. All my fault" he said. "Arey mere pagle masterji, meri taraf toh ek baar dekhlo na? Sirf ek baar mujhe dekkar meri baath sun, phir tumhara yeh self pity session ko resume karlo." Kartik said and Aman peeked through his hands, eyes resting on Kartik._ (Arey my dear masterji, look at me once? Just once look and listen to me, then you can go back to your self pity)_

Kartik just pulls him closer and pecks him on the lips. "Tumhi toh hamesha kehte ho ki bure sapne aana toh inevitable hai, aaj toh tera baari thi. Tum kal bhi mera stongest baby tha, aaj bhi mera strongest baby hai aur hamesha you are my baby strongest. Iska matlab yeh nahi hai ki tum humesha strong rehna chaahiye. Kabhi kabhi main bhi tumhe support karna chaahiye na?" Kartik paused, collecting his thoughts.  
_(You are the one who always says that bad dreams are inevitable, today it is your turn. You were my strongest baby yesterday, you are my strongest baby today and you will always be my baby strongest. It doesn't mean that you should be strong always. Even I should support you at times no?)_

"Allahabad mein jo bhi hua, woh tera galti kabhi nahi hoga. Yeh toh papa aur meri galti hai. Maine papa ko naraaz ki aur unhone pyaar se samjane ki wajah danda le liya. Shaayad agar tum us din baagh nahi gaya na, mujhe nahi patha kya hua hota. Tumhara dard toh mujhe patha hai baby. Parivaar se ladna bohot mushkil hota hai. We all have our breaking points. Ek dil hi hai humare paas. Kisi ne dono taraf se use keecha toh obviously dard hogi na?" Kartik asked, running a hand through Aman's hair.  
_(Whatever happened in Allahabad, it will never be your fault. If anything, it will be papa and I's fault. I made papa angry and instead of trying to make me understand with words, he took up his danda. Maybe if you hadn't run away that day... I don't know what would've happened. I can understand your pain baby. A fight with your family is always hard. We all have our breaking points. We only have one heart. If people start to pull it in different directions then you will obviously feel the hurt and pain?)_

"Teri koi galti nahi hai isme. Agar tumhara papa ne jeet gaya woh din, it would be because of me. Maine hi tumhe mujhe wahaan lekar jaane ke liye zid ki, maine hi tumhe train main kiss kiya, maine hi waapas aakar shor machaya tumhara ghar mein. Aur tumhe patha hai na ki tum mere sab kuch ho? Kaise chhod saktha hoon tujhe kabhi? Batao mujhe? Mera pyaar mein vishwas nahi hai kya? Kyon itna self hate karte ho? Mere liye tum kaafi ho. You didn't let anyone down that day. Dimaag mein register karlo woh baath. Main tumhe kabhi nahi chhod kar jaaunga unless and until you want me to leave." Kartik said firmly, waiting for the message to sink in, placing a kiss on his forehead again._  
__(Nothing is your fault in all this. If papa had succeeded that day, it would've been because of me. I was the one who pestered you to take me there, I was the one who initiated the kiss in the train, I was the one who came back and stirred trouble in your home. And you do know that you are my everything? How can I let you go? Tell me? You don't believe that I love you? Why are you hating yourself this much? You are enough for me. Drill it into your head. I will not leave you unless and until you want me to leave)_

"Par..." Aman trailed as he looked into Kartik's eyes, his eyes glassy from the fresh tears that threatened to flow. Kartik just put a finger over Aman's lips and positioned him to lay down and got on top of him. He could still see the doubt and self hate shining in his eyes and he felt the immense need to reassure his strong baby. He was determined to share Aman's pain, he couldn't believe that Aman had bottled up so much and was releasing it all right now. This was Aman's breaking point, he love drowning and he was going to help him out.

"Focus karna mujhpe, dhyaan se suno meri baath, kuch math sochna, kuch math bolna. Bus mere baaton mein focus karna." Kartik said and kissed his forehead. "Mujhe aur koi nahi chaahiye life mein" he said as he kissed his temple. "Mistakes happen, jagda hogi bohot, par it doesn't mean that main tujhe chhod kar jaaunga" he said, kissing his nose. Aman had closed his eyes and took in a shaky breath._  
(Focus on me, listen to me carefully, don't think of anything, don't talk. Just focus on what I am saying. I don't want anyone else in my life, Mistakes happen, there will be a lot of arguments but it doesn't mean that I will leave you and go)_

"You are my baby strongest, you are my better half, the one who knows me better than myself" he said, placing a kiss to the lips. "Mere kaali zindagi main tum roshni ki tarah aaye." he said as he lightly kissed his chin. "Thank you for coming into my life. Agar tum nahi hota... patha nahi main kya kar raha hota ab" ha said, pressing in the pendant that was hanging on Aman's chest._  
(You are my baby strongest, you are my better half, the one who knows me better than myself. You came into my life like light piercing through the dark. Thank you for coming into my life. If you hadn't... I don't know what I would've been doing right now)_

"You didn't let me down, kabhi nahi. You are the one who is my rock, the one who saved me from drowning, the one who has always brought me up, never let me down" he said, a hand tracing the lines of Aman's body while he nipped at the collar bone.

"Tumhi ne mujhe sikaya ki rona buri baath nahi hai, ki I don't have to be the strong one all the time. Aur it is applicable to you also. Mujse tumhara dard baatna koi buri baath nahi hai. Us dard ko chupana hi bohot buri baath hai" he said, slowly kissing his shoulder blades._ (You are the one who taught me that crying is not a bad thing, that I don't have to be strong all the time. And it is applicable to you also. Sharing your pain with me is not a bad thing. It is trying to hide that pain that is bad)_

"Ab tum mera pati ho, tumhara family ne hume accept kar chuke hai, humara relationship bhi illegal nahi hai. Aur kya chahiye?" Kartik asked, slowly coming down and flicking his tongue over one nipple and lightly sucked it while he rolled around the other nipple in his hand, revelling in the soft moans and whimpers that Aman let out._ (You are my husband now, your family has accepted us, our relationship is not illegal. What else do you want?)_

Slowly he released the nipple and was now eyeing the tattoo and gently kissed it, trying to pour out all his love and feeling in that one kiss "Yeh tattoo jo humne Goa mein banvaliya, that is us, our reality, our happy ending. Mujhe aur kuch bhi nahi chaahiye. Mere liye tum kaafi ho." he whispered over the tattoo. Aman just ran his hand through Kartik's hair, shaking due to the sheer amount of love and care Kartik was showing._ (This tattoo that we got done in Goa, that is us, our reality, our happy ending. I don't want anything else. You are enough for me)_

He suddenly pulled Kartik into a bruising kiss, completely raw, trying to convey whatever he was feeling then, the love, the regret, the passion, the everything into that one kiss, ignoring the rest of the world. It was just the two of them, trying to pour their every emotion into that one kiss.

It was the need to breathe that finally made them break the kiss, breathing heavily as they looked at one another. "Thanks" Aman said. "Chalo theek hai, ab so ja, kal toh..." Kartik said. "Haan haan, theek hai. Mummy papa ko phone karna hai" Aman said._ (Ok, lets sleep now, tomorrow...) (Yeah, ok. We need to call mummy and papa)_

As they laid down, Aman turned to face Kartik, who seemed to be lost in thought. "Kya soch rahe ho?" Aman asked. "Kuch nahi" Kartik said, turning to face away. "Nahi, kuch toh soch rahe ho, this is your thinking face, I know it." Aman said, turning Kartik back to face him. Kartik tries to change the topic but Aman doesn't let him so finally he relents and shares a thought that had been on his mind from past few days._ (What are you thinking about?) (Nothing) (No, you are thinking about something, this is your thinking face, I know it) _

"Woh bachchon ki baare mein soch raha tha... Un sabko haste hue dekh kar ek chain sa aata hai mujhme, soch aati hai ki humara bhi ek bachcha shaayad adopt kar sakthe hai... chahat hai par..." Kartik pondered._ (I was thinking about the children... just seeing them laugh bring some peace in me, I was thinking about what would happen if we ever adopt a child... I want it but...)_

"Adoption?" Aman asked, eyes wide. "Jaanta hoon ki it is too soon, shaayad tumhe usme interest nahi hoga par... never mind, chhod do." Kartik waved it off._ (I do know that it is too soon, maybe you are not interested in it but... never mind, leave it)_

"Kartik, waisa kuch bhi nahi hai. It just took me by surprise. Aur tum tumhara baap jaise nahi hoge. Anyone who has seen you interact with the children will tell you that. Par hume kuch research karni hai uske baare mein. Kal subah yeh sab discuss karlenge. Abhi ke liye so ja" Aman said, stroking through Kartik's hair till the both of them fell asleep. _(Kartik, its not like that. It just took me by surprise. And you won't be like your dad. Anyone who has seen you interact with children will tell you that. But we will need to do some research about that. We will discuss about it tomorrow. Go to sleep now)_

The next morning, after a small chat with their parents, Rajni and Kusum called them to have a little chat. "Hum... kuch din pehle kuch discuss kar rahe the..." Rajni started. "Hum adoption ke baare mein soch rahe the" Kusum said. _(We... some days before we were discussing about...) (We were thinking about adopting)_

"Jaanti hoon hi it is early to decide on doing so... legalities hogi and all that par... we are thinking about it" Rajni said. "Hum bhi kal raath uske baare mein discuss kar rahe the, the only problem is that it's not legalised for same sex couples, shaayad future mein hoga par ab it is not. Research karni padegi ki koi advise de sakthe hai ya nahi iske baare mein. Koi bandha hoga Delhi mein jise hum yeh baath kar sakthe hai..." Kartik said.  
_(I know that it is early to decide on doing so... there are legalities and all that but... we are thinking about it) (Even we were discussing about it last night, the only problem is that it's not legalised for same sex couples, maybe it will be in the future but for now it is not. We will need to research more about it, look if someone can give advise about it. There will be someone in Delhi who will be willing to talk about this…)_

And they started their research, searching for the right person who can give them the advise and Aman was the one who found it. "Mil gaya humara bandha." Aman declared with a smile as everyone got around him to see who it was. _(We got our person)_

**A/N: **Hope you all like this chapter! All comments and criticism accepted and appreciated! This fic is betaed by girl. with. passion! Any prompts are welcome! Thinking about whether to give an interlude with the Goggle Kusum talk & Kartik and the children relation or go ahead with my major twist... ****

****Thank you all for reading!** **

**Rasi10 signing off**

****Published on 18 March 2020****


	7. Adoption Talks

**A/N: Comparatively a shorter chapter but... I wanted the backstory of how the adoptions came to be so... yeah.  
Scene: How the decision to adopt came to be.**

**Warning: Auto corrects and typos are always behind my back so please forgive me for any mistakes. And please don't get mad at my attempt at typing Hindi, it is NOT my First or Second language so I am prone to make mistakes.  
**

The idea of adoption for Rajni and Kusum had actually come in from the family. They had been sitting at the table, playing something when Shankar had breached the topic. "So... shaadi ho gayi... bachche ka kya karoge?" he had asked all of a sudden._ (So... you got married... what about children?)_

"What?" Kusum and Rajni asked in chorus with an incredulous look on their faces. "Haan beti, bachche chaahiye to kya karoge? I'm not forcing and all par... supposing you want to have children, what will you do?" Sunaina asked._ (Yes children, what about children? I'm not forcing you all but... supposing you want to have children, what will you do?)_

"Abhi abhi toh shaadi hui hai maaji, thoda time lagega unke baare mein soch ne ka" Rajni said. "Koi baath nahi hai bhabi, adopt karlenge ya phir surrogacy karlenge, options hai unke paas." Chaman said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world._ (We have just got married mom, it will take sometime to think about it) (No problem bhabi, they can adopt or maybe do surrogacy, they have options) _

"Papa! Thoda sochne ka waqt toh deejiye ki agar humko bachche chaahiye ya nahi, aapka pote paane ki ichcha humare paas force math karo. Decision lene ki baad, hum kudh hi aap se bol denge agar hume bachche chaahiye ya nahi" Kusum said._ (Papa! Give us some time to think whether we want children or not, don't force your want to have grandkids on us. After making our decision, we ourselves will come and tell you that we want children or not)_

That night, while in bed, the thought never left their heads. "Mummy papa toh ab saare samay iske baare main hi poochte rahenge. Humne toh tumhari situation ke baare mein bathaya bhi nahi unko. Kya karna hai?" Kusum asked. _(Mummy and papa will now always ask about this to us. We haven't told them about your situation yet. What should we do?)_

"Um... do hafte mein woh pride march hai na? Hum uske liye jaayenge, tab Aman aur Kartik se iske baare mein pooch lenge. Asexuality ke baare mein baath bhi karni hai anyways... Shaayad mummy papa maan jaayenge." Rajni said._ (Um... there is that pride march in two weeks no? We can go there, talk with Aman and Kartik about this. We need to talk about this asexuality thing anyways... Maybe mummy and papa will agree to it)_

"I know ki you love children, dekh sakthi thi jab baba ne woh idea diye the humko. The way your face lit up at the prospect, kuch bhi kar sakthi hoon us hasi ko waise hi preserve karne ke liye." Kusum said, kissing Rajni softly._ (I know that you love children, I could see it when baba gave that idea to us. The way your face lit up at the prospect, I will do anything to retain that smile and joy on your face)_

And that is how Rajni and Kusum came about the idea of adopting a child, partly due to family and partly their own love for children.

Kartik on the other hand... it all started with the test article the weekly magazine had asked for. When he had approached the children's hospital nearby to write the article, he couldn't help but look at the downtrodden faces of the sick children while writing his article and went forward to have a one to one conversation with all the kids there, who sweetly talked with him about why they were there.

Something had struck a chord in him then, looking at the children laughing at his stupid jokes and how they innocently talked with him... he had felt this urge to spend more time with them, entertain them and make them smile, forget about some of their worries, become a child with them once more...

He didn't know what came over him but by the time he had come to his senses, he was coming out of the hospital, an article in his hand and the number of the hospital in the other. He vaguely remembers talking with the nurses and manager, enquiring about entertaining the children from time to time.

And when he gets the call accepting his request, he's surprised and elated. He immediately runs over to Aman, pulls him off the chair and spins him around, laughing loudly. "Arey, kya hua tujhe? Kush khabri kya hai?" Aman asked with a surprised laugh._ (Arey, what happened to you? What is the good news?)_

"Yaad hai woh din jab tune mujse kaha ki, I quote 'Mere pyaare dramebaaz, yeh drama ko kisi aur jagah dhika, shaayad faaida ho jayega kisi ko?' And guess what? Wohi kiya maine, aur unhone haan kehdi hai! Sunday ko children's hospital jaakar entertain karni hai un bachchon ko!" Kartik gushed out, not able to hold in his excitement._ (Remember that day when you said that, I quote 'My dear dramebaaz, show all this drama somewhere else, maybe it will be helpful to someone?' And guess what? I did it and they said yes! I am to entertain the children at the hospital this Sunday!)_

"Yeh toh bohot achchi baath hai! Chahta hoon ki tumhare saath yeh weekend wahaan aane ki par..." "Haan, batha hai, lecture deni hai tumhe Monday par. Kisi aur din aana mere saath. Manage karlonga ek weekend tere bina" Kartik said. _(This is a good news! I do want to come with you this weekend but...) (Yeah, I know, you need to give your lecture on Monday. Come with me another day. I will manage one weekend without you)_

The weekend came, and Kartik was all geared up to entertain the kids. He was bouncing around like a kid with a sugar rush when he enters the hospital. He gathered around all the kids and nurses, even the parents who were present if they were willing and made them sit in a circle, Kartik in the middle and started his game.

It was a fairly simple game. He will tell them a one liner, either a question or a statement and asked one of the kids/adults to tell one more line that is not related to what he said within 10 seconds, else they will get out. It basically went like this.** (Inspired by Maathi Yosi from the programme Adhu Idhu Edhu)**

"Behenji, aapka naam kya hai?" he asked, pointing at one of the nurses._ (Sister, what is your name?)_  
"Bachchon ko... laddus pasandh hai" she said._ (The children... like laddus)_  
"Par mujhe laddus nahi pasandh" Kartik said, pointing towards one of the boys there._ (But I don't like laddus)_  
"Kyon nahi pasandh hai?" he asked._ (Why don't you like them?)_  
"Aur tum out ho! Maine kya kaha? Do not?" Kartik prompted._ (And you are out! What did I say? Do not?)_  
"Tell anything related to anything you say" the rest of them, except one girl, chorused. They immediately started pouting, realising the trap he had set up.  
"Pakad liya! Aur winner hai..."_ (And I caught you! And the winner is...)_  
"Kanni!" everyone exclaimed as they pushed the girl forward, laughing merrily.  
"Aur winner ko miltha hai... drum rolls please!" Kartik said and two of the kids started to clap._ (And the winner gets... drum rolls please!)_  
"Bas yaar... ek chocolate! Kuch aur khelen ya yahi continue karni hai?" Kartik asked and there were various answers that echoed around._ (Ok stop... one chocolate! Shall we play something else or continue this?)_

By the end of the day, the kids had come to love Kartik and was pestring him to come back soon, even if people don't allow him to visit. A nurse had suggested him to visit a nearby orphanage or special abilities home or even an elders home as according to her, they needed someone like him to cheer them up time to time.

Kartik was over the moon when he left the place, he couldn't wait to come over with Aman the next time. Lets just say that Aman's ear needed a rest from all the excited non stop talk that Kartik had subjected him to.

So it was no surprise for Aman that Kartik had started to talk about adoption after just a few visits. Those children were golden whenever Aman had visited them along with Kartik. Which of course led them to the current situation.

"Mil gaya humara bandha. Infertility centre chalta hai, shaayad help kar saktha hai" Aman said as the other three crowded around him with smiles on their faces._ (We got our person. Runs an infertility centre, maybe he can help us)_

**A/N: **Hope you all like this chapter! All comments and criticism accepted and appreciated! This fic is betaed by girl. with. passion! Any prompts are welcome! Major twist coming up!****

****It was supposed to have been posted yesterday but my mood was down cuz Corona is a SOB and the board has decided to postpone my last exam due to that so... yeah.****

****Thank you all for reading!****

**Rasi10 signing off **

****Published on 20 March 2020****


	8. The Infertility Centre

**A/N: ****The**** four of them decide to meet Dr. Chaddha****. Ok, this chapter is completely bonkers, idk what I was thinking about when I wrote this but... it happened and I brought in ****Vicky**** Donor. Hopefully it makes.**

**Warning: Auto corrects and typos are always behind my back so please forgive me for any mistakes. And please don't get mad at my attempt at typing Hindi, it is NOT my First or Second language so I am prone to make mistakes.**

The four of them were sitting outside the doctor's room in Dr. Chaddha's clinic, waiting for their turn. The couple inside were leaving and the next was called in. Aman got up with Goggle and went inside.

"Doctor Chaddha..." "Bachche chaahiye? Sperm chahiye kya?" he asked, not looking up from his notebook. _(You want children? I mean, do you need sperm to reproduce?)_

"Nai ji -" "Toh phir sperm donate karne ke liye aaye ho kya? Hume demand hai par donors nahi hai. Aap please form bhar dijiye aur ek sample dekar jaaiye, hum usko test karke aapko inform karenge" he said, finally looking up. _(No sir) (Then do you want to donate sperm? There is a huge demand but we dot have enough donors. You please fill the form and give us a sample, we will test it and inform you)_

"Arey doctor sahab, ek baar mujhe baath karne dijiye na. Hume ab sperm donation mein interest nahi hai abhi. Bachchon ke baare mein discuss karna hai so-" _(Arey doctor, just listen to me for a minute. We are not interested in sperm donation right now. We wanted to discuss about children so-)_

"Kis tarah ka sperm chahiye, kis ki tarah dikhna hai bachcha?" he asked, used to these kinds of request. "Humko sperm ka koi zaroorat nahi hai, humare paas hai sperm" Aman said._ (What type of sperm do you need, who do you want the child to be like?) (We do not need sperm, we have sperm) _

"Aapka patni infertile hai kya?" Chaddha asks, reconsidering whatever he was thinking. "Arey Dr. sahab, behen hai meri, patni nahi" Aman said. "Toh phir pati kahaan hai? Yeh sab pati ke saath hi discuss karni hai" he said._ (Then your wife is infertile?) (Doctor, she is my sister, not my wife) (Then where is her husband? This can be discussed with him only)_

"Partner toh abhi yahaan nahi hai aur usne request kiya ki main iske saath yahaan aane ki" Aman said, slowly getting frustrated. "Achcha theek hai, toh aapki behen infertile hai kya?" Dr. Chaddha asked._ (Her partner is not here now so they asked me to go along with her) (Ok then, so is your sister infertile?)_

"Arey yaar, infertile nahi hai hum, asexual hai! I feel uncomfortable with sexual contact" Rajni said giving her input for the first time in the whole conversation. _(Oh god, I am not infertile, I am asexual! I feel uncomfortable with sexual contact)_

"So... you want to try surrogacy?" Chadda asked. "Doctor sahab, woh ace hai, she feels uncomfortable. Aap doctor hi hai na? Asexuality ke baare mein patha hai na?" Aman asked, patience wearing out._ (So... you want to try surrogacy?) (Doctor, she is ace, she feels uncomfortable, You are a doctor right? Don't you know about asexuality?)_

"Bhai, agar adoption karni hai, toh adoptation centre jaake poochiye, yahaan kyoon aye hai?" Chaddha asked. "Koi aur option nahi hai kya?" Rajni asked._ (Brother, if you want to do an adoption, then go to an adoption centre and ask, why are you here?) (Isn't there any other option?)_

"Most popular aur preferred is adoption and surrogacy par... kya problem hai aapke?" he asked as he saw Aman's frustration as he facepalmed._ (Most popular and preferred means is adoption and surrogacy but... what exactly is your problem?)_

"Surrogacy toh option nahi hai aur adoption... probably won't work out for us..." Rajni muttered to Aman. "Hum soch ke batha denge Dr. Chaddha. Thank you for the information" Aman said as they got up to leave._ (Surrogacy is not an option and adoption... probably won't work out for us...) (We will think about it and tell you Dr. Chaddha. Thank you for the information)_

"Sperm donation ke baare mein ek baar soch lo, shaayad madat karega tumhe." he called out as the cousins left the office. The two of them shook their heads, Aman silently sending Kartik a short message as the nurse called up the other 2._ (Think about donating sperm once, it might help you)_

"Doctor Chaddha..." "Bachche chaahiye?" he asked, looking at the couple, his face morphing into an expression of shock as he saw Kartik. _(You want children?)_

"Vicky, tum toh Ashima ke saath hone chaahiye na? Aur yeh kaun hai?" he asked. "Ashima kaun hai? Yeh Vicky kaun hai?" Kartik asked, confused about where this is going._ (Vicky, you should be with Ashima now right? And who is this?) (Who is Ashima? And this Vicky?)_

"Arey Vicky, mazaak math kar mere saath. Tumne hi toh bola tha ki tum Ashima ke saath aaj bahar jaa raha hai aur yahaan aane ke liye mana kiya. Did you change your mind now?" Chaddha asked. _(Vicky, don't try to fool me. You were the one who told me that you were going out with Ashima and refused to come over here. Did you change your mind now?)_

"Dr. Sahaab, hum toh bas yeh poochne aaye the ki agar aap koi surrogacy ya adoption centres jaante hai ya nahi? Patha hai ki yeh sab internet mein milegi par... second opinion poochna koi buri baath nahi hai na?" Kusum enquired, squeezing Kartik's thighs as he noticed that the doctor was ignoring them and instead calling someone. _(Doctor, we just want to ask you whether you know any good surrogacy and adoption centres or not? I know that all this is available in the internet but... it is not bad to ask for second opinions right?)_

"Hello Ashima, Vicky wahaan hai na?" "Nai nai, koi problem na hai, bus waise hi. Have a nice day" Chadda said and turned back to them. "Achcha ji, aapko aur aapke patni ko kya chaahiye?" he asked._ (Hello Ashima, Vicky is there right? No, there is no problem, just like that. Have a nice day) (Ok, what do you and your wife want?)_

"Doctor bro" Kartik started, plastering a smile on his face. "Yeh mera patni nahi hai, main iski husband nahi hoon. Aur main woh Vicky bandha bhi nahi hoon. So please, will you answer the question for god's sake!" Kartik said, his voice dangerously low._ (This is not my wife, I am not her husband. And I am not this Vicky fellow. So please, will you please answer the question for god's sake!)_

"Arey bhai, shaanth ho ja. Kya question hai?" Chaddha asked. Kusum repeated the question again and he seemed to ponder over it before asking why they wanted to know about it. "Just out of curiosity" he added when he saw Kartik's look._ (Arey, calm down. What iis your question?)_

"Look, this is my sister in law, who is married to my husband's sister and so, both of us are in search for a place where we can adopt children or apply for guardianship without any legal issues. Madat kar sakthe ho kya?" Kartik asked. _(Can you help us?)_

"Interesting... by any chance, iske pehle aane wala do log aapke partners hai kya?" he asked. "Humare personal lives ke baare mein poochna chhod aur prashn ka uttar dijiye" Kusum said. _(Interesting... by any chance, are the two of them who came before you your partners?) (Stop asking about our personal lives and answer our question)_

"Achcha ji, theek hai. Tension hone ki zaroorat nai. Yahaan toh bohot anaath ashram hai jo shaayad adopt karne ki choice denge par... legal adoption ke chances kam hai aapke liye. Co parenting... try kar sakthe hai par... I don't know if it will help. Adoption ke baare mein aur jaankari ke liye, is number ko contact karlo." he said and gave them Vicky's number.  
_(Ok ok. There is no need to get tensed. There are many orphanages which might give a choice to adopt but... chances of legal adoption is low for you. Co parenting... you can try it but I don't know if it will help you. If you want to know more about adoption, contact this number)_

"Hope this helps?" he asked as the two of them get ready to leave. "Shaayad... We'll contact you later" Kusum said and the two of them walk out.

"Kuch faaida hua?" Aman asked. "Bohot kuch nahi par koi bandha ka naam diya tha, adoption ke baare mein usse poochne ke liye bola." Kartik said._ (Was it helpful?) (Not much but he has given someone's number, asked us to ask them about adoption)_

"Toh phir milenge use?" Rajni asked. All of them stared at the contact on Kartik's hand, contemplating on whether to call him or not._ (Then shall we meet them?)_

"So these are our options? Adoption, surrogacy and co parenting. What is co parenting?" Kartik asked. "Research karna padega of course. Par can we all agree that maybe adoption is not a valid option for now?" Kusum asked. _(We have to do __research__ of course. But can we all __agree_ _that__ maybe adoption is not a valid option for now?)_

"Obviously. Even if someone agrees to give their child to us, we won't be able to adopt legally. I think the same will also apply for surrogacy." Rajni said.

"Well... chances are there if maybe Kusum does it but... as she said, she's not interested or ready for it right now. So... I think the only option will be calling that number..." Aman said.

"Toh phir phone karenge. Kartik call kar usse." Rajni said. Kartik hesitantly dialed the number and waited for the person to pick up. _(Then we __shall_ _call__. Kartik, __you__ call them)_

"Kaun hai aap?" he asked. _(Who are you?)_

"Mera naam Kartik hai. Dr. Chaddha yeh number diya saying that you will be able to clarify any questions regarding adoption. Toh... Hum aapko mil sakthe hai?" Kartik asked. _(I am __Kartik__. Dr. Chaddha gave me this number saying __that_ _you__ will be able to clarify any questions regarding adoption. So... when can we meet you?)_

There seemed to be some hushed discussions and a lot of cursing before he was given a reply. "Today at 7, woh... infertility centre ke saamne ek restaurant hai na, wahi aana, hum baath karenge. Humara naam Arora hai" he said and cut the call. _(Today at 7, come... to the restaurant in front of the infertility centre, we will talk there. My name is Arora)_

"Appointment fixed." Kartik said, not knowing the disaster that was heading their way.

**A/N: ****And** **that's**** the wrap of this silly little chapter. I was ****looking**** forward ****to** **write**** more but... lock down and ****quarantine**** has made me more ****restless**** that I ****can't**** sit in one ****place**** and concentrate on something. Aka, currently I have my sketch book beside me and my tab on my hand so... yeah.**

**Hope** **you**** all like ****this**** chapter! All comments and criticism accepted and appreciated! This fic is betaed by girl. with. passion! Any prompts are welcome!**

**Thank you all for reading!**

**Rasi10 signing off**

**Published on 24 March 2020**


	9. The Couples Meet

**A/N: Kartik, Aman, Rajni and Kusum, Vikcy and Asihma meet each other. Thank you girl. with. passion for the cues :) Might not be as funny as the characters meet on but... yeah.**

**Warning: Auto corrects and typos are always behind my back so please forgive me for any mistakes. And please don't get mad at my attempt at typing Hindi, it is NOT my First or Second language so I am prone to make mistakes.**

By the time the 4 of them reach the restaurant, it's 7:05 pm. "Kahaan hoga woh?" Aman asked as they entered the restaurant. "Pooch lenge kisi ke paas. Yeh woh table booking type nahi lagta so... order dekar hum poochenge" Rajni suggested as they proceeded towards the counter. _(Where will he be?) (We will ask someone. __This__ does not the restaurant __that__ pre books tables so... we'll ask when we order)_

"Bhai..." Kartik starts, looking at the menu.

"Arey yaar, abhi abhi toh aapne aapke order rake gaye, koi changes tha kya order mein?" the cashier asked. The four of them exchanged confused looks and looked at him again. _(You just gave your order, was __there__ some changes in it?)_

"Hum toh abhi abhi aaye hai! Kaise de sakthe hai order iske pehle?" Kartik asked. "Jooth math boliye sahab, aap hi ne order kiya ek fish curry, ek chicken 65 aur do rice combo abhi abhi" the cashier asked, looking offended. _(We just came here! How could we give our __order__ before?) (__Don't__ lie sir, you were the one who ordered a fish curry, __one__ chicken 65 and 2 __rice__ combos just now)_

"Dekhiye ji, hum abhi aaye hai. You are confusing us with someone else. Aap please order lijiye humari aur bathaiye ki hume yeh Arora kahaan milega please?" Kusum asked. _(Look sir, __we've__ just come __here__. You __are_ _confusing__ us __with__ someone else. Please take our order and can you __tell__ us __where__ we can meet Arora?)_

The cashier, probably fed up with everything and eyeing the queue that was building up, just nodded with a sigh of defeat and took in Kusum's orders and forced them to move aside. Aman had excused himself to the restroom, leaving the rest of them to search for a table.

When he came out of the restroom, he saw Kartik fiddling with his phone and went towards him and hugged him from behind, giving a small peck to the cheek. "Goggle aur Kusum kahaan hai Kartik?" he asked as the person asked "Ashima?" _(Where are __Goggle__ and __Kusum_ _Kartik__?)_

Aman immediately shuffled back and his brows furrowed as the person turned back to face Aman. "Oh shit. I'm really very sorry, I thought that you were my husband" he said, cheeks slowly reddening.

"At least muh pe kiss nahi ki na?" the guy said, giving his attempt of a lame joke as his cheeks also started to turn pink. "Vicky Arora" he said. "Aman Tripathi. Assume kar saktha hoon ki humne aapko hi phone kiye the?" Aman asked. _(__At least__ you __didn't__ kiss me head on) (Aman Tripathi. Can I assume __that__ you were __we're the__ one we'd called?)_

"Shaayad" Vicky said, eyeing at the approaching people. "Par really sorry tumhe woh... tum dono ek hi tarah ka t shirt pehen rahe ho aur..." Aman said. "Koi baath nahi, as long as humara partners understand it. Lagtha hai mera patni tumhara pati ko dhoond liya" Vicky said, pointedly looking at his wife approaching with another man who was wearing the same dress as he did. _(Maybe) (But __I'm__ sorry for... __Both__ of you have worn the same shirts and...) (__No__ problem, as long as our partners understand it. Looks like my wife has found your husband)_

While that drama was happening on one side, the other 3 were having their own share of drama. They were discussing on where to start the search, when a lady came upto them and said "Vicky! Table pakadne ke liye kaha tha tumhe aur -" and screamed when Kartik turned around. Kartik screamed back, startled by the sudden screaming, causing everyone to turn around to look at them. _(__Vicky__! I told you to catch us a table and-)_

"Tune kya kiya Vicky?" "Madam, kaun Vicky? Subah se yehi sawal pooch raha hoon main" Kartik asked, annoyed. "Hello Mr. Arora, mazaak math kar mujhse. Tum bhi jaante ho ki hum yahaan kyon aaye hai. Woh log shaayad aa chuke hai. Ab dher math kar aur chalo" Ashima said and started dragging Kartik along. _(What __have_ _you__ done __Vicky__?) (Madam, who is __Vicky__? __I'm__ asking the __same__ question from the morning) (Mr. Arora, __don't__ try to play smart. You __know__ why __we've__ come here. Those people might've already arrived here. __Don't__ delay now, come)_

"Madam ji, hum Vicky nahi hai. My name is Kartik aur main Arora se baath karna aaya hoon" he said and Ashima turned back and started at him. "Toh tum Vicky nahi ho?" she asked to confirm. _(Madam, __I'm__ not __Vicky__. My name is __Kartik__ and __I'm_ _here__ to talk to __Arora__.) (So you are not __Vicky__?)_

"Yeh aapka Vicky nahi ho saktha kyon ki a) He is gay and b) Can we meet Mr. Arora please? Since you seem to know him?" Rajni asked. _(He __can't__ be your __Vicky__ as a) He is gay and b) Can we meet Mr. Arora please? Since you seem to know him?)_

"Oh, sorry... Ashima Roy, wife of Vicky Arora. Aapne mere pati ko hi aaj call kiye the. Aaiye, main uske paas aapko le chalti hoon" she said and proceeded to move towards the table she just spotted Vicky on, who was now chatting with Aman who seemed to be a little flustered. _(You guys had called my husband. Come, __I'll__ take you to him)_

Upon nearing the two of them, they could see that both Vicky and Aman were blushing, which had started to fade and Kartik and Ashima simultaneously raised their eyebrows to their respective partners, wanting to know what happened.

"Aman? Kyon sharma rahe ho" Rajni teased. Aman started stuttering badly and Vicky had to end up answering. "Peeche se aakar mujhe hug karne ke baad cheek mein ek kiss diya tha. Phir mujhe dekkar maafi maange shuru kiya. Aur kuch nahi" Vicky said, cheeks turning red. _(__Aman__, why are you all __blushing and_ _embarrassed__?) (He came up behind me __and__ hugged me before __kissing__ my cheek. Then he __saw__ my face and started apologising. Nothing else)_

"Achcha baba, ab sab log mere jaisa dikthe hai kya?" Kartik asked. "Mera koi dosh nahi hai! Dono ek hi shirt pehen rahe ho aur peeche se ek hi tarah dikthe hai dono. Main kya karoon?" Aman asked with a pout. Kartik leaned in and gave a quick peck on Aman's lip, turning the pout into a small smile. _(Oh, so now everyone you look at looks like me?) (__It's__ not my fault! Both of you are __wearing__ the same shirt and look the same from behind. What can I do?)_

"I do agree with him. Both of you look the same from behind. Anyways, Vicky, this is Kartik, and Kartik, that is Vicky." Ashima introduced and the two men looked like they were seizing each other up before nodding and shaking hands.

"Mera pati Aman, uska cousin Rajni aur uski patni Kusum." Kartik said, pointing at each of them before pulling Aman towards him. _(My husband __Aman__, his __cousin_ _Rajni__ and __her__ wife Kusum)_

"Toh aaj Chaddha ne isi liye call kiya tha kya?" Vicky asked Ashima. "Shaayad?" she said. "Definitely kyon ki humare saamne hi usne aapko call kiya tha. Bol raha tha ki koi donor ka zaroorat tha use aur tune mana kiya aaj aane ke liye. Pareshaan kar raha tha hum dono ko sperm donate karne ke liye" Kartik said and Vicky facepalmed, muttering something. _(So __Chaddha__ had called us for this?) (Maybe?) (__Definitely__ as he called you in __front_ _to__ us after seeing __Kartik__. He said __something__ about __needing__ a donor __and__ you had denied donating today. He was __pestering__ us to donate sperm)_

"Aur aap chaar ne kyon wahaan gaye the?" Ashima asked. "Bachche paane ki tarika poochne ke liye. As you can see, we are not exactly... you know?" Kusum said. _(And __why__ were __you__ four there?) (To ask about other ways to __have__ children.)_

"Achcha... surrogacy ya adoption try karlo" Vicky said and the four of them simultaneously facepalmed and groaned. "Kya hua?" he asked, confused. _(Oh... __try__ surrogacy or adoption?)_

"Kuch nahi, if you hadn't noticed, hum 'LGBT community' se hai. Adoption abhi tak legalised nahi hai humare liye. Aur surrogacy might not be possible kyon ki a) Many won't be willing b) Legalities again and c) Even if you say that these two are there, ek ace hai aur doosri ke saath karne mein apparently complexities hai so... yeah" Aman said.  
_(Oh, nothing, if you __hadn't__ noticed, we are from the 'LGBT community'. So adoption __hasn't__ been legalised yet for us people. And surrogacy might not be possible as a) Many won't be willing b) Legalities again and c) Even if you say that these two are __there__, one is ace and __the_ _other__ has some complexities so... yeah)_

"Oh... toh shaayad difficulties hogi... jab humne patha chala ki main infertile hoon... humne adoption karne ke liye soch rahe the. Tab hi patha chala ki yeh" she said, lightly slapping Vicky "Sperm donate kartha hai. Par woh achcha hua kyon ki we adopted one of those babies, who was orphaned..." she said.  
_(Oh... then maybe things can be difficult... when we __found__ out __that__ I was infertile... we were __thinking__ about adoption. Then I __got__ to know that he was a sperm donor. But it __turned__ out well for us as __we__ later on adopted one of those babies, who was orphaned)_

"But will it help us? I mean..." Kusum trailed off, not knowing how to word it. Before anyone could say anything else, their token numbers were called and Vicky and Kartik went forward to collect the food, Kartik going just to spite the cashier for all the trouble he gave in the beginning. The said person just sighed at the smug look on Kartik's face and gave him the tray, giving the two of them confused looks.

"So..." Vicky started, playing around with the food on his plate. "From what you've said till now, mujhe nahi lagta ki aap log such mein adoption karne mein interested ho. Lagta hai ki parents ke majboori ke wajah se yeh kar rahe ho. No offence par... I don't think you are ready to have children just yet." he said, looking at the four of them. _(From what you've said till now, I __don't__ think that you __people__ are really interested in adoption. No offence but... I don't think you are ready to have children just yet.)_

"None taken... Hume abhi adoption karne ka ichcha nahi hai. We know we aren't ready for that. Yeh toh bas humari jaankari ke liye hai. Humare shaadi toh sirf teen mahine pehle hui. Hum itni jaldi main nahi hai you know. Shaayad Kartik aur Aman ke beech mein yeh baath hone ke chances the shaadi ke pehle. Par humare chemistry toh sab jaldi se hua toh we are still coming to terms with it." Kusum said with a smile.  
_(None taken... __we__ are not willing to adopt right now. We know we __aren't__ ready for that. __This__ is just for our knowledge. We have been married for just 3 months. We __are__ not __in a__ hurry. Maybe there are chances that __Kartik__ and __Aman_ _could've__ had __this__ discussion __before_ _the__ marriage. But our chemistry was all quick and __we_ _are__ still coming to terms with it)_

"For your information, hum toh kabhi shaadi ke baare mein kabhi soche nahi, let alone bachche. You do know that it was impossible with our situation right?" Kartik asked. "Haan haan, patha tha tumhara situation. Chupke chupke train door ke saamne mein isi liye kiss kar rahe the, jahaan koi bhi dekh sakthe the tumhe" Rajni said. _(__For__ your information, we never even thought about marriage, __let_ _alone_ _having__ children. You do know it was impossible with our situation right?) (Yeah yeah, __that's__ why you kissed each __other__ near the door of __the__ train, where anyone could see you)_

"Aur mandap mein sabke saamne kiss kiya tha Aman ne tumhe, kisi liye, koi nahi jantha" Kusum said, suppressing a smile at their blushing faces. "Chup kar yaar" Aman muttered. "Aur kaun tumhe itne jaldi mein shaadi karne ko bola? Ek raath I love you bola aur the next night shaadi kar li. Uske pehle woh sexual tension..." Kartik shot back, shudderig. _(And when __Aman__ kissed __you__ in __front__ of __everyone__ in the hall, __for_ _what__ reason, no one knows) (Shut up yaar) (And who asked __you__ to get married __that__ early? One night you were __expressing__ your love and __we're_ _girlfriends__ and __the__ next, you are __married__. And the sexual tension before that...)_

"That seems interesting... aur batao" Ashima said. And thus the exchanging of stories began. Kartik and Aman about their relationship and the mishap at Allahabad, Kusum and Rajni chiming in regarding their story and filling in the gaps, their respective honeymoons and then finally ended with how they ended up here.

"Ab tumhare baari, aapke love story kya hai?" Aman asked. And they started their story. "Sab na, us Chaddha ke wajah se hi shuru hua. Mere peeche pad gaya tha sperm maangte hue. Pehle mana kiya par uske baad paise ke liye ek baar kiya. Kuch samay baad maine apne marzi se karna shuru kiya." Vicky said. _(Now __it's_ _your__ turn, what is your love story?) (It all started __with_ _Chaddha__. He was coming after __me__, asking __me__ to __donate__ sperm. I did refuse __initially but_ _after_ _that__ I did it __for__ the money. After some time I __did__ do it out of my own wish)_

"Bank account open karne ke liye mere paas bank mein aaya tha, phir mujhe paane me koshish kardi. Well... succeed hua tha, we dated for a while, phir shaadi kar li. Well, I did inform him that I was a divorcee before the proposal, which he didn't think to reciprocate as mentioned before... but... in the end everything did end well..." Ashima said. _(He approached me in __the__ bank to open a bank account, then he tried to open a relationship with __me__ instead. Well, __he__ did succeed in it, we __dated__ for a while, then married.)_

"To be frank, your dad was more open minded to the fact that I was a sperm donor than you were. In fact, he was the one to convince you to give me a second chance" Vicky said. "Achcha baba, is discussion hum ghar mein karlenge. Ab toh kuch log humare paas help maangne aaye hai, usko dekhlo pehle" she said. _(Ok dear, we'll __have__ this discussion at home. Now we have some people who wanted our help, take care of that)_

The other two couples were looking at the two of them like they were watching a tennis match. "Hello, mera verdict sunlo. Sleep over the thought, discuss karlo ek dusre ke saath iske baare mein aur phir call karna when you have an idea of what you want to do. I'll keep in touch." Vicky said. _(Hello, listen to __my__ verdict. Sleep over the thought, discuss about it with __each__ other and then call me when you have an idea of what you want to do. I'll keep in touch)_

"Achcha, phir hum chalte hain. Hume bhi dher ho rahi hai. Good night!" Kartik said and started to get up, the others following him out. "Well... that was informative" _(__Ok__, we'll take our leave then. __It's_ _getting_ _late __for us too. Good night!)_

**A/N: And that's the wrap of this little chapter. And quarantine is hitting hard man. Can't sit still or concentrate on one single thing :(!** **Hope you all like this chapter! All comments and criticism accepted and appreciated! This fic is betaed by girl. with. passion! Any prompts are welcome!**

**Thank you all for reading!**

**Rasi10 signing off**

**Published on 27 March 2020**


	10. Epilogue

****A/N: The final chapter fellas! I know that seems quite abrupt but... yeah...****

****Warning: Auto corrects and typos are always behind my back so please forgive me for any mistakes. And please don't get mad at my attempt at typing Hindi, it is NOT my First or Second language so I am prone to make mistakes.****

After that small chat with Vicky and Ashima, the couples had yet another discussion about what they wanted to do all within themselves and met Vicky one more time before Rajni and Kusum had to return back to Allahabad.

Kartik and Aman kept their promise and visited the family a week before Christmas so that Christmas and New Year was free to be celebrated with the children from the children's hospital and the nearby orphanage. To their surprise, Vicky and Ashima had also joined them.

Time went on and their determination to get a child became stronger woh each day, the yearning never leaving them. They had informed the family about their decision to adopt, much to their joy and about Rajni's gender identity, which also they accepted after getting to know what it was.

And then came the miracle. The court had legalised same sex couples adoption and the whole family was over the moon about this. Preparations were immediately started to get the homes ready for the child by Sunaina and Shankar. "Arey papa, bachche toh dekhne do pehle! Chota bachcha ke liye kamra banakar bachcha char saal hua toh?" Aman had protested when he saw all the baby things Sunaina and Shankar had bought. _(Papa, let us see the kid first! What if you make a room for a new born baby and the child turns out to be four years old?)_

Meanwhile, Rajni and Kusum were facing the same dilemma at their home in Allahabad, where Champa and Chaman were fawning over the two of them with baby stuff.

And finally all chaos had been settled, thanks to some healthy tips from Vicky, Ashima and R and soon, it was time for adopting the children.

It was an easy pick for Aman and Kartik. There was this one boy who had taken an instant liking to them from the minute they set foot into the orphanage during the New Year celebrations and by the end of the day, he was bawling to get adopted by the couple.

The sisters there were shocked as that boy was the most silent and conserved one of them all, turning away any prospective parents that came their way. And they had promised the boy to adopt him the minute they could.

And the time had come to adopt him. Arjun - a 4 year old who was quite smart for his age with black hair and deep brown eyes that studied the two of them intensely. "Bilkul tumhare tarah" Aman had commented the first time they had seen him. _(Just like yours)_

Rajni and Kusum on the other hand... they had a tough time choosing their child. But in the end they selected a 4 year old Naina,with eyes that sparkled with mischief and ink black hair.

And then first time the two children had met, the only thing the elders could think of is "Sathyanaash" because that's what they were, pure bundles of trouble and hurricanes of mischief. Let's just say that when the two of them are together, there is no came that anyone can get any relief or rest. And if Kartik or Rajni decided to join them as trouble makers...

Hell, they even had an annual prank war game during holi time. The teams usually ended up being Kartik and Rajni with one of the kids, Aman and Kusum with the other kid and the victims? Papa, mummy, chacha, chachi and Keshav and his precious iPad. And guess who used to win the war? ****(Well... answered in the A/N)****

But they were also the apples of everyone's eyes, the elders could never say no to them for anything. They all will just look at the mischief makers and laugh, revelling in the way the children were enjoying and basking in their innocence, with no care for the world.

Of course they had their own problems. The kids were taunted very often about having two dad's or two mom's but they always held their heads high and retorted back defiantly, often making their way to the principal's office along with their parents.

'But all was well', Kartik thought at one of their annual family unions. From the time of having a small family, becoming hopeless at one point of time with no family, gaining the love of his life and marrying him after a lot of drama and now, ending up with a son and a large family...

'Yeah, all is well' he thought with a smile as Arjun came upto him and shuffled onto his lap, "Arjun, samhal ke, appa ka ankle still hurts" Kartik said with a wince. Yeah, he had been the victim of Arjun's latest prank and had accidentally sprained his ankle badly. _(Arjun, be careful, appa's ankle still hurts)_

Aman was hugging him from behind, mummy and papa on one side, Rajni, Kusum, Naina and Keshav on the left with chacha and chachi, posing brightly for their group photo. There had been a lot of hardships and struggles but in the end, it was all worth it Kartik thought as he looked into Aman's eyes with a dopey smile of his face, just as the photo was clicked.

It was all worth it.

****A/N: And wrap up guys! Before anyone tells me off for the short********chapter which took these many days... I didn't********know how to word it properly... there********was to be 3 more chapters but... I couldn't********get the right words to drag it long so... I kept it simple.****

****For who one the prank war... Aman and Kusum. Well, if you had expected it, congrats! Hope you all like this chapter! All comments and criticism accepted and appreciated! All prompts are welcome. Thank you girl. with. passion for helping me out whenever I was stuck. And to all the readers, thanks for your support :)****

****Just taking a small break from the fadndom for now as I am more of a reader than a writer but... I'll see you soon with some one shots : )****

****Thank you all for reading!****

****Rasi10 signing off****

****Published on 31 March 2020****


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